Win Her Favor - Winter (Todomomo Fantasy AU)
by LilMissCreator
Summary: Princess Momo Yaoyorozu has become of age. Men from all the neighboring countries have come to duel for her hand. Her grit and hard character are hard to melt through, but Prince Shouto for the Todoroki Kingdom attempts to. In a tale between two countries of fragile peace and the relationship between of two people destined to come together, people aren't what they seem.
1. Tell Me It Isn't True

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

* * *

The cage. A large, chain link dome that covered a large circled off area where warriors would duel. Stands for audiences to cheer, boo, and screech in surrounded it except for two areas that allowed for entrances and exits of the warriors. The sky a bright blue and everything filled to the brim with anticipation. A woman, with a spiky ponytail to the right with shining steel armor adorning her body. A man, unlucky to battle her on such a day. One area of the stand, taller than the rest, where a king and queen sat. Their brutish demeanors clear. What the man looked like didn't matter for he would soon be smashed down to nothing but dust.

The woman extracted a mace from her stomach. The audience cheered as the craftsmanship shone from the weapon. The king stood, causing the audience to cheer even louder. His hand rose, then fell to begin the battle.

Her hand twisted to hold up the mace as the two charged towards each other. Her face filled with rage, annoyance, and disgust. She swung the mace towards the man and down he went. The sound of bones cracking and a body falling to the dry, dirt ground. The sound of the crowd shouting a single name and title.

"PRINCESS MOMO!"

* * *

The messenger ran into the throne room. His hair a dark green mess and satchel on his side being jostled. A beauty of a castle with stone walls and sophistication throughout. Large windows were adorned with velvet curtains and gold streamed through the glass to create pictures of great triumphs. A throne was in the back center of the long room with guards stood still on the sides of a lengthy red carpet that ran to the throne.

Upon the throne sat a king with his head held high. His mouth carried a heavy frown and sharp gaze that bore into the messenger's head. A golden crown rested on his hair along his dark red hair that caught the sunlight just right to gleam and glow. Flames flew off of his body into the air. A red cape adorned his body as a sword lied next to his right hand against the throne. The messenger kneeled a bit away from the king. Green lightning around him was beginning to fade away from his hurry. His lip quivered.

"Rise and speak, Midoriya." the king gestures for him to stand.

He did so, but did not dare to look the king in his eyes. "King Enji, the Yaoyorozu island kingdom has announced that their princess's hand in marriage is free for any man who wishes to take it."

"That sounds strange. The princess would never agree to such. She is too much of a feisty character." the king stroked his beard, deep in his own thoughts.

"Your highness, there is a catch to the announcement." the messenger took a deep breath in before finishing his message. "If one wishes to take her hand, they must defeat her in a duel first. The past contenders are already piling up in hospitals and around their kingdom. She has already defeated over a hundred men and has killed a few who went too far." his breath hitched.

"Ah, this is a perfect opportunity." he flashed a rare smile. "Call my advisors and Prince Shoto to the royal armory, please." King Enji stood from his throne. "I'm going for a walk."

Shoto sat in his room with a book open in his hand. His room was large and circular due to him being in one of the castle towers. Bookshelves lined his room with a large bed near the back wall. A large balcony overlooked an endless field where grasses and daisies grew. A fireplace sat across from the bed on the opposite wall. It was extinguished with ashes thrown about, as if someone were annoyed with it. Shoto was at a desk made of dark wood that made the room seem unfriendly. Hues of blue and red adorned the room's decorations such as paintings and other knick knacks.

The window doors of the balcony opened to the evening's warm air. It had been a tiring day with horseback riding, training, and studying. His father had piled on numerous tasks for him to complete and he was growing sick of it. His half white, half red hair was dirty from the tasks, but he didn't care to clean himself at the moment. Shoto's eyes scanned the page he was reading. _The crisp, clean air of the mountains swarmed through the cavern. One could eye the bare stones being eaten away by the wind. The sheer power could blow one past the hills and back to the valley. It nawed at your soul. A stab, a strangle, a never ending duel between one and the elements._

His reading was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was timid, quiet, almost like a whisper of a knock that only one person Shoto knew could do. He closed the book, leaving it on his desk. Shoto strode across the large, circular room to the door. _Why would he come at this hour?_

"Midoriya?" he opened the door to find the messenger.

"Your highness, King Enji calls for you in the royal armory. Please be prompt with your arrival." his head was held down low in a bow.

"Get up." Shoto sighed.

Midoriya stood up tall and looked him in the eye. "I know you've been disagreeing with your father, but I think you really should go."

Shoto leaned against the side of the door's frame and crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Princess Momo Yaoyorozu has come of age to be wedded."

"I've heard of her before. That kingdom is full of barbarians. She doesn't seem like the type to easily find a husband." he frowned.

"Well, I think your father is considering sending you to the Yaoyorozu islands to make her your bride."

His frown deepened. "I'd never agree. My heart is not wooed well by women nor am I a wooer of women."

"Your father would think otherwise." Midoriya moved out of the doorway to allow Shoto to walk out.

Shoto grabbed a sword in its sheath leaning on a cabinet and wrapped it around his waist as he walked. Midoriya followed him with a hand over his satchel strap.

"What are you planning on saying to him, Shoto?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not there yet." the prince picked up his pace.

The two crossed grand halls and large windows as they walked. Guards would spot the prince and the messenger and clear the path for them. Their faces stoic, but concerned for the prince's attitude.

"The royal armory is quite far from the castle. Will you be taking your horse?"

"Yes, though I need you to send a message to my brother." Shoto made an abrupt stop.

"Prince Dabi?" Midoriya blinked at him confusingly. "He is across the kingdom with your mother currently. That will be a few days trip if I were to go now."

"Exactly."

He took a deep breath in. "Your highness…" Midoriya took out piece of parchment and a pen. "What is your message?"

"Tell him, the wind is howling through the mountains." he could feel Midoriya's confused stare at his back."That is all. You may go." Shoto began walking again.  
"Shoto!"

The prince turned back to him.

"Good luck."

The two nodded to each other and parted ways.

Shoto felt the wind through his hair. His horse, a white mare, was the most powerful in all the kingdom. Fast and strong as she jumped over logs in the road. He clenched his fists around the leather reins as night began to fall. Going out with no guards with him was a bit stupid, but he needed this. A ride alone with only him and his horse. The forest was quiet with only the rustle of bushes or flap of wings from the animals.

The prince was headed toward the mountains where the royal armory was located. A stream of magma was located in it many years prior. Miners dug around it and found it a wonderful source of heat. Blacksmiths began to move into it to use its unique properties. Shoto's father took over it once he realized the usefulness of the volcano. Guards surrounded the armory while master blacksmiths worked in it from dawn to dusk. It was far from the capital city or the royal palace, but was expertly protected. The materials from the mines in the mountains proved invaluable for the country.

Walls surrounded the opening of the royal armory. Shoto came to a large gate where four guards were stationed. Two were on the ground on each side of the gate while two others were on their respective sides up in towers above the gate. One called up to the tower guards, allowing the prince access to the royal armory. He rode his horse until he came to the entrance into the inner mountains. A guard took his horse's reins and guided the mare away as Shoto went off to find his father.

The temperature rose as he entered the armory. The heat enveloped him, though not like a hug. It was scorching. He heard the clang of hammers upon metal and the rush of ashes out of furnaces. He felt the air warm even more behind him and he turned to greet flames.

"Hello father."

* * *

Momo's hands shook violently. Her final duel of the day was done, but she knew there would be more tomorrow. _I must cement our kingdom's strength. I cannot allow my emotions to get the better of me. It's okay to kill…._ Her thoughts trailed off as she sat in her room. It was relatively small with a simple bed to the side. Two bookshelves lined her walls with weapons lying throughout. A window was open to the night air. It was so cold, for fall was coming soon and snow liked to settle in early.

The princess was sat on her bed. Her hands had blood on them from the duel. She didn't know what to do. Should she wipe the blood off? Yes, she should've done that much earlier. However, she couldn't. All she could do was stare as it began to dry and cake. The mace she had created was lying on the ground in front of her. Her armor still on, dirty and scratched. She didn't know what to do.

Her kingdom was on the verge of war with the Todoroki Kingdom. Their mastery over the elements of fire. The eldest prince denied the crown and past it off to the youngest of the Todoroki royalty. Prince Shoto, a product of King Enji and Princess Miyuki from the Yukiko Kingdom. His powers of half ice and half fire were rumored to be unstoppable.

The message of her coming of age had probably already reached the prince's ears. He was older than her by 2 years and she knew he would be coming. If he were to win, she would go with him to his kingdom and become his queen. Her life on the islands would be over. Her freedom to roam with her bow and arrows, shooting them into trees. Her freedom to sail across the sea waters then return home by nightfall for dinner. That would all be gone if he were to win. If she were to win, war would break out. The Torodoki Kingdom would win the war for sure and take her and her kingdom. Her people, though strong, and father, though strong willed, would not last in a war with the other kingdom.

Momo sat on her bed. She racked her brain on possibilities and options she had. She could run from the kingdoms and go beyond what are on all the maps she sees. That would end badly for her kingdom still. All the options she thought of were bad. The final solution was one she didn't want to come to terms with. She would have to earn the trust of the prince and convince him to leave their kingdom alone. She would go with him to his kingdom if needed, marry him even. As princess, she needed to confirm that her people would be safe. She was merely a tool to be used in the grand scheme of things.

The princess looked out to the sky. Stars flooded it and she could hear the sea's waves crashing against the island's edge. Her lonely tower that she lived in, away from the main castle where her parents resided. They decided to give her some more freedom to herself before it would all end. When Prince Shoto arrived in a few weeks, Princess Momo's life would not be the same. It will change and forever be changed. Men from all over the neighboring countries would fight for her hand, but none will come close.

A voice shouted from the bottom of her tower near her window. Momo rushed to the window and looked down. A purple hair maiden was there in a plain brown dress and a blonde man with dirt all over him. She waved up to the princess. Momo hurried down the steps of her tower to open the door for her. The maiden was there with a smile. The princess embraced her, relieved to see such a friend. The man stood to the side with a scowl.

"Jirou, it's so late. Why are you here?" she kept her arms around her.

"I brought Bakugou with me. Can we come inside?"

"Yes!" she rushed them in and shut the door, locking it with a key. "Would you like some tea while you tell me why you both are here?"

"No. Don't bother." Bakugou shook his head.

"Momo, we figured out a plan to get you out of all of this!" Jirou clapped her hands together.

"Jirou, I'm afraid there is no way for me to get out of all of this. My father and mother may have allowed people from all over to duel me for my hand, but they only did that so King Enji would not be offended. Once Prince Shoto comes here to duel me and beats me, it's all over." she smiled sadly at the maiden.

"No, there is a way!" she threw her hands onto Momo's shoulders. "You could fake your own death."

"That's the same as running away…"

"Not if you died with lots of people around you." Bakugou put his hands into his pockets and smirked.

"What are you two suggesting?" the princess took a seat on a stool.

"Bakugou hasn't dueled you yet, so in a duel between you two he could fake kill you. Your body would go on to do the burial and we can sneak you out then since Yaoyorozu royalty is buried without the public around." Jirou took Momo's hands and stood her up. The maiden didn't even flinch from the blood drying on the princess' hands.

"Jirou, I have to decline such an offer." she made Jirou let go of her hands and put them together, feeling the blood of a stranger.

"Decline? Is all of this getting to your head, Yaoyorozu?" Bakugou scowled again. "You don't want to marry some stuck up pansy from another country."

"I can't do something like this. I have to marry Prince Shoto for the two kingdoms' fragile peace. I can go with him to his country and improve relations. People there think we're all barbarians, but if I made them think differently then things will be better." she smiled at the two.

"Momo…" Jirou looked at her sadly.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes." the princess nodded her head to reassure the two.

"Well, you're fucking wrong. You can't do this." Bakugou crossed his arms.

"Bakugou, as your princess, I must order you to let me proceed with what I wish. I cannot be selfish." she shook her head at him.

"Yes, you can. You can't marry that half and half bastard. I hear he's demonic and has already taken multiple mistresses since his coming of age." his scowl unbelievably became deeper.

"I hear he tortures people on a regular basis in his kingdom. People are scared for when he becomes king. Some say he might kill his father just to have complete control over the kingdom." Jirou put a finger to her chin and looked up to think.

Momo laughed. "You two can't go around believing rumors like that. The only people on these islands who have met him are my mother and father."

"Yes, but they've never told you about him before. Everything we say could be true." she put a finger onto Momo's nose to quiet her.

"Oh, you two…." she sighed. "A milkmaid and stable boy who I've been friends with all these years."

"Friends?" Bakugou snorted.

"Friends, Bakugou. Isn't that exciting?" the princess smiled at him.

"I guess." he smiled back.

"Well, it's one more of the last nights before you go off and marry this prince. Let's do something fun!" Jirou shared their smiles.

"Like what?" the blonde rolled his eyes. "Please don't take us to the forest again. I think I still have bush thorns up my ass from that."

"Hey! Don't say that about my adventures!" she slapped his arm.

"Oh, you wanna go tit pincher?!" he yelled at her.

"Don't insult my profession!"

Momo tried to cover her mouth as she laughed. She could live in that moment forever. Her friends, her family, her kingdom all together. This was what she wanted.

A/N: Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original work: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont

Please support the artist on their amazing artwork. They allowed me to use their art on the Wattpad posting of this fanfic and I simply want to promote them more on both Wattpad and ao3. Have a wonderful day! 3


	2. Worries

"Shoto, I'm glad you're here. Come, walk with me." King Enji walked away from Shoto and out of the royal armory.

The prince followed with a scowl. "I already know what you're going to discuss, so do not bother."

"You do? That's good. I knew Midoriya wouldn't keep such information from you." he had a small smile on his face. "Shoto, you're well past the age of adulthood."

"I am clearly aware, father." the two walked into the surrounding forest.

The area around them was illuminated from King Enji's flames. However, nothing caught on fire. His flames would only lightly brush against the shrubs and trees as he walked. Shoto hadn't quite mastered his powers to where he could not harm others from it. He didn't quite care though, for he never used his fire powers.

"You will be departing for the Yaoyorozu Kingdom in a day's time. I do not want to allow them an ounce of relief. You may prepare however you wish and take whoever you wish to the kingdom. You will defeat this princess then return with her, make her your queen, and relations between our kingdoms will prosper." the king said everything as if it had already been done.

"Father, I do not wish to make a barbarian my bride." the cold crisp air on Shoto's right side felt strange as he walked with his father on his left.

"You do not have to love her. Simply, you marry her and have our kingdoms at peace for a short while. Enforce our dominance over their tiny kingdom and leave it at that."

"Would it not be unwise to wed a royal from a tiny kingdom? It would make our kingdom seem incompetent." Shoto searched for a convincing notion.  
"Ah, they are tiny, but strong. Their islands make it hard to take over and they have a ruthless way of fighting that most organized and civilized people in our kingdom cannot comprehend." his father stopped and turned to Shoto. "That is why we will begin to control them." the king clenched his fist. "We will take their kingdom from the inside out and make it unrecognizable to the future generations. We will erase them." he uncletched his fist.

"Erase them? Their culture, languages, practices, religions?" the prince shook his head. "We could not erase a people. It'd be impossible."

"Todorokis are meant to do the impossible, Shoto." the king turned away and began to walk again. "You know Midoriya well, correct?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you ever wonder why no one else in the kingdom has green hair like him?"

"Again, yes. I do most certainly."

"That is because I erased his people."

Prince Shoto stopped in his tracks. He looked up at his father in confusion. _He did what I deemed impossible._ The king stopped as well and looked at his son in an unsettledly tender way.

"Midoriya is the last of the Izuku people. I took pity upon him and allowed him to be raised in the castle. I exterminated them years ago and erased all that was left of them. He is an endling."

The prince couldn't help but stare. He knew of his father's brutality and unforgivingness. But this. Why would the king tell him something like that? Did he want to disprove Shoto's assumption of the impossible? Shoto's mouth closed and opened repeatedly, not knowing what to say.

"So, it is possible to erase a people. You can keep the princess alive if you find her bearable. Everyone else though should be the erased. The Yaoyorozu people have a very special ability to them. You know what it is, don't you?" King Enji stroked his beard.

"Their bodily ability to heal their own injuries. That's what made them dangerous when grandfather was expanding the kingdom. However, they couldn't beat his flames. Their healing had a limit."

"Exactly, my son. Your grandfather expanded this kingdom and controlled the Yaoyorozu people. Our people have the ability to withstand any temperature. We will take this dream a step forward and complete our domination." he smiled. "Tomorrow will be a long day of planning, so you may go now. It is quite late." the king stood tall, allowing Shoto to leave.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"I do not wish to erase a people or to join in on your plans." he glared up.

"Your wishes do not matter. I am your king and you are to obey. Now leave before I change my mind and send you off somewhere like with your brother." the king waved him away.

"I-"

"Leave, Shoto."

The prince turned away from the king and began to walk. He felt the heat around him leave as he got closer back to the royal armory. The king had a hold on him. He could choose to rebel, to run away, or to obey. Shoto's options were in a small amount. If he rebelled, his father would have him sent to the same place his mother and brother are or he would be killed if he was feeling a bit nice. If he ran away, it'd be the same as rebelling. He would taste freedom from his duties as prince for only a moment before they would find him. To obey meant that Shoto would go on. He would fight this princess and have the knowledge of his father's devious plans to himself as they were executed.

The prince would have to marry a barbarian. A wild woman who would not listen to him or anyone around her. He hasn't even met her and he feels so trapped. Shoto already knew that he would never get the chance to choose who he married like so many others did, but he wasn't expecting to marry Princess Momo. Her name holds shame, regret, and unhappiness with it. Rumors of her being born out of wedlock to a king's mistress circulated the kingdom for a long time since her birth. People still question her legitimacy to the throne. Many people would be glad if she were to marry him since her sister would go on to become queen and she would go on to stay with Shoto.

A guard there held onto the reins of his mare. Shoto took the reins and mounted, ready to leave. That was before he caught a glimpse of his father. The king held his head high with a frown on his face as if he knew what Shoto was thinking. The prince took one last glimpse at the man then rode off. The wind through his hair once again, he didn't want to think about his future. In the wind, he felt free. He felt who he was as a human and not a prince or a Todoroki. He felt it all.

His room was grim, dark when he returned. The door had been left open since Midoriya and him left it. Shoto took a step in there to find a man sitting in his chair. Glasses on his face with his knight armor still on from a long day at patrolling. He back leaned against the chair and his arms crossed as his eyes were closed. His brow furrowed as if in deep thought. He was frustrated.

"Iida, what are you doing here? I thought you had the midnight patrol to get to."

He opened his eyes. "Your highness, Midoriya has already told me of the situation." the knight stood, then kneeled at his prince's feet. "I am simply here to reassure you that I will always be by your side in whatever decisions you are to make before I go out to my patrol. Please do not hesitate if you ever need a friend." Iida stood once again and put out a hand to the prince.  
"Iida, you do not have to kneel for me. We are equals." Shoto shook his hand, but shook his head at the same time.

"Ah, sire. If we were equals then you should be kneeling to me as well." he flashed a smile to him.

"Your formality is sickening, Iida."

"That's why I'm a knight and you're not."

"True. Good luck on your patrol."

"Thank you, your highness. I must go, but please do not hesitate to call me."

"I won't. Now go."

Iida left the room, leaving Shoto to feel a little lighter. He had people on his side that he could trust. Midoriya and Iida were only a few that Shoto would gladly give his life for. He grew up with the two. Midoriya being raised in the palace for reasons that were just revealed to the prince on that night. Iida being raised in the palace due to this father's rank as Captain of the Royal Guard. The three of them were as different as ever, but came together with similar goals and ideals in mind.

Shoto changed out of his clothes into new ones and lied down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, finding himself unable to sleep. _My father is sending me to my grave._

* * *

Momo's entrance into the high stand brought cheers among the crowd. It was the first battle of the day and excitement ran its course through the people. The Yaoyorozu people were once bloodthirsty and ruthless to earn their barbarian name. Once the Todoroki Kingdom began to expand to their borders though, it all changed. Thinking about the Todoroki Kingdom sent a wave of resentment to Momo's emotions that tensed her body.

The princess only battled the very last man standing. Throughout the day she would battle particularly powerful men or settle on the high stand with her family and guards. At the end of the day, the last man standing would battle her. This system would weed out the hopeless ones who were too weak to hold a flame to the princess and those who were distasteful in personality.

Momo watched the men clash in the cage. The first battle of the day was always first come first serve. A man with a strange slightly curved sword on his back. He wore a red scarf and bandages on his arms. His hair was in a frenzy with no sense of direction. His looks intrigued Momo and she was curious as to see what he would do. The man was clearly not from the Yaoyorozu Kingdom from his weapon and looks. It unnerved Momo with the weight of her kingdom on her shoulders. _He might be one of those who lasts._

* * *

Shoto awoke before the sun rose. He had spent most of the night tossing and turning in bed. He couldn't settle. The prince rose to change out of his clothes. He took a glimpse in the mirror to look himself over. His hair was a mess and slight bits of dirt still remained on his face. He looked out the glass doors to his balcony. _Dawn won't come anytime soon. Maybe I could go to the royal hot springs?_ Shoto grabbed his sword that lied next to his bed and went out the door. He had only a white blouse and black pants on. None of his usual royal attire adorned his body as he tied his sword around his waist. Only the crest of the Todoroki royal family on the sword's sheath could indicate his status.

The prince made his way to the royal hot springs underneath the palace. They had been discovered years ago, just like the royal armory and were for the personal use of royal residents. He went down a long staircase to find a large wooden door. The prince opened it to feel the rush of hot air. He closed the door behind him to enjoy the comfort. The hot springs were his favorite place in the palace. No one was there except him and it was wonderful.

Shoto settled in one of the pools of water and let his muscles untense from the day before. His rush a hand through his hair to wet it. He sighed. The weight of his kingdom was on his shoulders and no matter how hard he tried to shake it off, it remained. Shoto let his head roll back to look up at the cavern ceiling.

He heard the door of the hot springs open. Heavy, sure footsteps began making their way to him. He knew of only one person with as sure of footsteps. Iida took a seat with his legs crossed near Todoroki at the edge of the water pool. He didn't have any of his armor on anymore and looked bare with only regular clothes on.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"How'd you find me here?" the prince closed his eyes and kept his head to the ceiling.

"After my shift, I went to your room, but didn't find you there. This is your favorite place in the palace, so I figured you'd be here instead."

"Care to join me?" Shoto opened his eyes and turned his deadpan face to the knight.

"I'd rather not. Seems like you're really enjoying being by yourself in there." Iida chuckled, shooting a smile to the prince.

"You're disgusting." Shoto frowned at him.

"Your highness, you are not one to engage with women often, so I only assumed-"

"Don't come down here and discuss women with me when you haven't even found your own. You're how old now? 23 or 24? Go stick yourself in a brothel, Iida." the prince groaned at his teasing.

"Hey, I'm only a year older than you! Why don't you figure out women before you have to commit entirely to one for the rest of your life? Don't stick it in crazy, my friend."

"Who said I had to commit?" he rolled his eyes at the knight.

"Shoto…"

"I'm kidding, Iida."

"Good. When you marry a woman, you should keep your eyes on her and only her. She is your partner for the rest of your life and-"

"Stop lecturing. It's not like I'm going to marry her out of love, so it doesn't count." Shoto made a waving away motion towards Iida.

"Arranged marriages are still built upon trust, my prince."

"You're only saying that because your parents, your brother and my sister, my parents, you yourself went through arranged marriages. The girl you're marrying is across the country right now and though you care about your future bride, I do not care about mine. Mine's not even arranged, I could die during our duel and die a single man."

"And a virgin."

"Silence yourself, Iida." the prince shot a glare at him.

"You could have any woman in the kingdom, yet here we are." he sighed and shrugged at Shoto.

"Dying a virgin would be better than enduring this current conversation."

Iida laughed at his comment. He threw his head back and let himself laugh on the ground as Shoto simply sighed. The prince gave a rare half smile at the knight and left him at that. _What a precious little world we live in…._

A/N: Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original work: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont


	3. Shush

Momo's eyes widened. The blood on the battlefield was beginning to spread from multiple bodies. The single man wearing a red scarf licked his blade and caught the eye of the princess. He sneered at her then turned greet the next victim. The sky was cloudy and the weather grew colder as the first snow neared. Momo's hands shaked as she sat with her family on top of the stand. The man looked straight out of the fairytale. A villain who must be stopped.

The scream of another fallen man created a quiet hush through the crowd. The man was allowing the others to drop like flies in the arena. There was no rule against killing your opponent, but many chose not to. Men started leaving the area. Some who wanted to duel that day had dropped from the news of this man. This killer. The look he gave the dead bodies scared Momo to no end. _I have to duel him…_

Beside Momo sat her sister. A small 8 year old girl with short black hair. It was cut to her shoulders. Princess Maemi, a born oracle to the royal family. The Yaoyorozu bloodline held great power to it. With it, the ability to create objects from their bodies and to give birth to a single female oracle every generation. The past Yaoyorozu oracle was Momo's great grandmother, who died the same day that Maemi was born. The young princess was one to shoot down others for their false prophecies. Her visions came frequently and left her to be quite condescending of frauds and those who hadn't master the craft. However, she was held to a code set by the previous oracles to never tell. Her face held a disapproving look at the man and she kept shaking her head. The young princess tapped Momo's shoulder.

"Momo, he's not the one." she shook her head profusely at her sister.

"Maemi, you're not allowed to tell me who's going to win my hand. I know you've had visions of it, but no." Momo shook her finger at her sister.

"But you're gonna marry someone so attractive and elegant. I want to tell you!"

"Well, it seems pretty sure that I'm going to have to battle this man today, so why don't you tell me if I will win?"

"Oh, I don't know if you will or if you're going to battle him at all." the princess held onto her sister's arm.

"Maemi…"

"I'm sorry that no one wants to tell me how your battle is gonna go. All I know is that the man you're gonna marry isn't him." she pointed into the cage, where the villain was licking his blade. "He's gross."

"Sometimes your visions are wrong, Maemi."

"Yeah, I know. People always manage to change the future. If he does battle you, kick his ass real good."

"Maemi, language!" Momo scolded.

As the last contender fell with all the rest having dropped, the man raised up his sword to the cheers of crowd members. Of course her people loved him. He was ruthless, unforgiving, and powerful. They wanted a leader like that who didn't second guess his actions. He simply kept moving forward. As the gates of the opposite entrance closed, indicating no more contenders, he turned to the high stand.

Momo's father stood. King Mareo Yaoyorozu was a man of quite brutish nature. However, he was kept in check by Momo's mother, Queen Michiko. He had a short, black beard on his face while he wore brown clothing. Robes, leather armor, metal plating, and a tooth necklace adorned his body. He was huge with a muscular chest and arms. Queen Michiko had blonde curls and blue eyes. They were messy and unkempt with little effort. Momo truly looked nothing like her. Her body was small, but she looked intimidating. Although, her hands were bruised with years of shooting arrows with them. The king trained Momo when she was younger to become the ultimate weapon. His training shone throughout her.

"As the last man standing, we will soon begin the battle with Princess Momo!" his voice boomed as the crowd cheered.

"NO!"

Everyone looked to the man who shouted the single word. Silence fell among everyone, then an eruption of hushed whispers as the man looked up at the high stand.

"There is one more contender." he held up his sword to the stand. "Prince Shoto will be arriving to the island soon and when he does, I will duel him and win. THE YAOYOROZU KINGDOM WILL DECIMATE THE SO CALLED GREAT TODOROKI KINGDOM AND RETURN TO ITS SPOT AS THE MOST FEARED, MOST POWERFUL, AND RUTHLESS KINGDOM THERE EVER WAS!"

The crowd grew unstable. They began to cheer, chant, and scream for the man. The stands began to move. Momo's people were moved by him. They felt something from him that no one else at the moment could give them. He gave them hope. _My people love him…._ Momo looked to Maemi. The young princess shook her head with a pout and pointed up a middle finger to Momo. She grabbed her hand and slapped it.

"MY NAME IS STAIN AND I WILL ENSURE OUR KINGDOM'S GREATNESS!"

Momo rushed out of the high stands once Stain exited with the crowd. She could hear her mother calling for her along with her father. She couldn't see, but Maemi put a hand out to stop the queen and let Momo go. The princess didn't know where she was going, but she just knew that she didn't want to be here. _My fate has been sealed. A duel between two men is how my future is going to be decided. I can't stand for this._

Momo ran into the royal stables and grabbed her horse. A black stallion as dark as the night itself. It was only midday, but everything looked so grim with the dark clouds looming overhead. _What will Stain do as he waits for Prince Shoto? What will I do?_ She rode into the island's forest, leaving the town and people behind. Her stallion jumped over logs and sensed her urgency. It led the way as tears began falling down her face, wetting its coat. Momo's armor was still on and her hair tied back in its ponytail. She released her hair and let it flow with the wind.

Time had past as the stallion kept on going. Momo heard the sound of crashing waves as the horse came to an abrupt stop. It flung her off of its back, leaving her on the ground. The stallion licked her face and nuzzled her cheek to reassure her. Tears still streamed down her face as she looked out to where the horse had brought her. Her hands shaking, clenching at the sight before her. The edge of the island where everything fell off into the sea. The shade of the trees behind them. Momo sat on a small, open patch of grass where trees refused to grow.

She scanned the sea. The delicate waves folding in and out of the waters. The birds overhead flying. It all calmed her. The stallion put its head to her cheek. Momo rubbed its head thankfully and kissed its nose. An animal could do so little, but know so much. She laughed when the stallion licked her face. She felt reassured.

A rustle came from the bushes. Momo immediately stood and grabbed out a mace from her stomach. Bakugo appeared, his hands raised and chest rising and falling rapidly like he had just ran. His tall figure created a large shadow on the ground. His broad shoulders wider than anyone else's in the kingdom. His jaw sharp and wit as sharp as it. He gave her a half smile when she lowered her weapon.

"I saw you grab your stallion, Dusk, and then book it. Knowing you might do something stupid like throw yourself off a cliff, I followed. Seems like you're alright." he decompressed and sighed.

Dusk trotted up to the man and nudged him. Bakugo simply waved the horse away, leaving it looking quite offended. The stallion moved behind Momo, staying close.

"You ran that far?" she dropped her weapon and gazed at him in awe.

"Hey, don't insult me. I've had to catch runaway horses before and have had my fair share of running. Now, you wanna stay here for a bit or go back to the castle where Jirou has to start preparing with the rest of the castle staff for the feast tonight."

"There's already a feast planned?" Momo looked at him sadly.

"Um, yeah. Your parents love to throw parties and they're probably going to invite that Stain guy. I wasn't able to watch, but I heard people discussing how he was killing men left and right." Bakugo put his arms down and shrugged.

"Bakugo?" Momo sat down again with Dusk grazing nearby.

"Yeah?" he sat down next to her.

"Should I be hopeful for Stain to win or for Prince Shoto?"

"I really think you shouldn't give a damn. You could kick either of their asses by yourself anyway." he puffed out a breath then fell back to lie on the grass.

"I know…"

"Then why are you so worried? You're Princess Momo. Destroyer of life. Creator of death. People from all over quiver at your feet. You crush skulls, laugh whenever you're covered with blood, and smile when you see intestines." he looked to Momo to get a reaction, but she stayed quiet. "I could go on."

"I have to choose." she confessed. "I didn't factor in the possibility of a man like Stain existing that could make me feel off balance. I now have more options, but they've become even more complex than before. If I allow Stain to win, then our people have a chance. The Yaoyorozu kingdom loves him. He's powerful, scary powerful and gives them hope. He said that he would return the kingdom to what it once was."

"Yeah, but what our kingdom once was shouldn't be something our people should be proud of."

"What do you mean Bakugo? Before the Todoroki Kingdom's conquest of the north, we ruled. We ruled every island and coast. Our people spread and mingled. My grandfather was the last to see that as the Todoroki Kingdom grew hungry. Their kingdom broke a promise of peace." Momo shook her head with a grim frown.

"But our kingdom broke that promise of peace multiple times before they even dared!" he sat up and faced her. "Your grandfather, though you may think of him great, killed countless people to control all of the north. Magical races existed in our world other than human." he took a deep breath in. "Don't sugar coat your old fucker to anything other than a piece of shit."

"Bakugo, how do you know about the ot-"

"Choose what's right for you, Momo." he sat down. "I know you go on and on about the people and what's good for the kingdom, but for once choose what's right for you. Whoever wins or whoever you may let win is gonna be be your side for the rest of your life." he pointed a finger at her. "For once in your life, be selfish."

"Bakugo." she scooted away from him slightly. "How'd you learn of the past?" Dusk came closer to her. "No one in the kingdom knows about the past kingdoms, but the royal family and those close to them."

"I'm close to you, aren't I?" the man smirked at her, but gained a frown from the princess. "I learned of the past from someone close to me, closer than you or Jirou. It's best that you don't know." he stood up. "Let's get back, your highness. People will begin to worry, you know?"

Momo felt an uneasiness appear in her stomach. It churned as Bakugo raised a hand out to her. His red eyes, so unique in nature, cut into her mind. She took a step back. She has known Bakugo all her life. From the first time they met when he brought her Dusk at the age of seven. From the time they came together with Jirou to cause mischief in the castle walls. Her hand shook slightly. The princess etched slowly forward and took his hand. He smiled.

Bakugo's skin began to melt away to show a woman. Her smile larger than any Momo has ever seen. Her hair blonde with messy buns on either side. A plain peasant outfit on her body and her grip on Momo's hand increased.  
"Hello, your highness." her smile continued.

Momo pulled out a dagger halfway from her stomach, but was stopped by the woman's other hand. She plunged the weapon back into the princess's stomach. Her hand melting into Momo's body with it. The woman's hand twisted inside her body and grabbed the dagger out for herself. Momo jumped back from her from her loosened grip and clutched her stomach. A wound formed on her stomach. Blood was leaking from it, but it was beginning to close up already as skin covered it.

"Wow, the Yaoyorozu people ability to heal. It's so beautiful." she blushed, clasping the dagger in her right hand.

"Who are you? What have you done with Bakugo?!" Momo grabbed the stray mace on the ground and moved back more.

"He's so ugly. Draining his blood was no fun until he got quiet." she twirled the dagger in her hand.

The princess kept her distance from the woman. She heard Dusk neigh behind her. The horse snorted and then charged towards the woman. Momo grabbed his reins and jumped onto his back, leaving the mace behind. The woman laughed as the two began charging away. Dusk moved faster than before, charging back to town. Princess Momo pulled a bow from her back and an arrow from her shoulder. She aimed towards the woman, who stood perfectly still. The arrow shot through the air towards her. The woman dodged it effortlessly and began speeding towards the princess. An aura of pink around her body. Momo spotted a masculine shadow behind the woman with a hand out. A person with a blue aura was nearby them. _That's where she's getting her momentum._

Momo shot another arrow towards the woman speeding towards her. She deflected it and charged into the princess. Both of them were thrown to the ground. Dusk stopped and turned to the two. The princess executed a sharp kick into the woman's gut, sending her flying off of her. Momo jumped onto Dusk and made way back into the town. She heard the whistle of an arrow through the air. In the matter of an instant, the princess grabbed out a sword from her chest to slice it in half. The remains scattered onto the forest floor as Dusk kept moving. _How foolish of myself to come so far into the forest._

Princess Momo turned to find the whistles of multiple arrows. Looking past them into the trees, archers of all shapes were revealed. Thinking quickly, she pulled a shield from her stomach. Her thinking, unfortunately, was not quick enough, as arrows hit Dusk's body. The stallion fell with Momo along with him. Her body hit the ground again with her horse on her side. _No…_ The creature looked at her with its large, dark eyes in urgency. The princess left her weapons and stood. _My healing will help me._ She began to run. Arrows hit her body, but she paid them no mind as she pulled them out onto the ground. The princess heard a giggle come from behind her. Arrows stopped being shot towards her. She turned to be met with the woman.

The woman tackled Momo to the ground. On top of her again, she held up the dagger to stab the princess. Momo rolled to the side and allowed the woman to stick the dagger into the dirt. The woman grew frustrated. She grabbed Momo's face and began to claw at it with her with her nails. The princess grabbed onto her wrists and twisted them as she attempted to kick her off again. She wouldn't fall for the same trick twice though. Her body moved upward with Momo's kicks to soften the blow.

"PRINCESS MOMO, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

 _Jirou!_ The sound of her voice boomed through the trees. The woman on top of her grew even more frustrated, if that was possible, and turned to yell at the bushes.

"Finish this!"

A man with a black and white mask appeared from the bushes. He sped towards the two. His fingers flicking with black gloves on them as he gently placed them onto Momo's forehead. The whole world seemed to stop. The sky turned dark and the woman's face shrunk. Everything felt so small.

* * *

Bakugo awoke to Jirou on the ground next to him shaking him. They were both in the stables with horses all around. A cloth was over his body and he felt so light. He looked down under the blanket to find himself without clothes. _What the fuck?_ Grumbling miserably, he finally decided to pay attention to Jirou.

"Bakugo, what happened?! You look terrible."

He blinked at her in confused until it hit him. The sore pain in his lower back. It caused him to groan and clutch his stomach. She stopped shaking him. He touched it to find a numbed cut. The blood still dripping slowly out of it. The man pulled his hand in front of his body to show Jirou. She gasped.

"I…"

"You're bleeding!" she stood up. "We need to find a medic immediately."

"Wait, no…" he examined the blood on his fingertips. _How did this happen?_

"Bakugo, what are you talking about?!"

The man surveyed his area. The untied hay piles with the horses looking extremely distressed threw him off. One of them were chewing on their stable lock. Another's stable door was bruised from repeated force. His eyes lazily loomed. Then, he spotted the knife near one of the horse's doors. His eyes widened and he turned up to Jirou.

"Momo!"

"She's not battling today. Tur-"

"No! She's in danger. Sound the alarm."

"Bakugo, you're injured!"

"JIROU, IF YOU CARE ABOUT MOMO, SOUND THE FUCKING ALARM AND FIND HER!"

* * *

Shoto sighed at the sight before him. A number of hand selected knights by Iida, supplies, gifts, animals, and weapons were being stowed onto a large royal ship. The ship was docked into a small harbor. It was a ways away from the palace, but it was appropriate for royal affairs. Its wooden frame clearly beautifuly and thoughtfully made as it shone in the afternoon's sun.

He couldn't feel the warmth of the sun or chill of the sea breeze, but he could feel the weight of his responsibilities. His father, expecting him to depart as soon as possible, left him unsure of his planning. The amount of supplies they had would last them a trip to the Yaoyorozu kingdom's islands. They would restock there and make their way back once Shoto had battled the princess. The prince put a hand to his chin, thinking wistfully as he looked across the sea. _I hope th-_

An arm suddenly hooked around his neck. He reached out his hand to his attacker with frost beginning to form on his fingertips. However, once he heard the laugh and the slow release of the arm, he allowed himself to relax. Only one person he knew had as hearty of a laugh as that and the blue hair with slightly crooked glasses gave it all away.

"Your reflexes are growing slower, Shoto. You should be training for your fight against Princess Momo." Iida scolded.

"I am aware, Iida. You do not need to surprise me though. I've had enough of those in this single week to last me the rest of my life." he shook his head.

"Ah, alright. I'll leave you to it, my prince."


	4. Tremor

The ship sailed smoothly through the sea. Wind filled the deck and blew through Shoto's hair as he stood next to the helm. Sunlight was beginning to show through the dark sky. Sunrise would soon be upon them. The captain of the ship, a man by the name of Luther, tipped his hat to the prince and smiled. The prince simply nodded in return. Such a man looked strange to the prince. His beard quite scruffy and unkempt. No matter though, as King Enji trusted the man to take Shoto across the sea.

"Good mornin', my prince. Wonderful weather we're havin' for sailin', aren't we?" his accent was extremely heavy to the point where the prince found it almost incomprehensible.

"Yes. It is extremely lucky of us to sail on this day. Truly a blessing."

"Ah, and ain't ya mighty excited to meet yer beautiful lassie across the sea? The princess, ain't she?"

"I've never met her before. I have no clue what she might look like." the prince shook his head to the captain.

"Really now? Well, whatcha think she looks like?" he nudged a little closer to the prince.

"More like a man than a woman. Muscular, brutish, and quite tall if her reputation precedes her positively."

"Don't let your hopes dip so low, your highness!" the captain hit the prince's arm lightly. "I've met the princess myself. She's the prettiest little lass I've seen throughout my travels. Fair skin, smooth hair, and a wonderful smile." he smiled as if he was using his own as an example.  
Shoto brushed his arm off. "Thank you for your reassurance, Captain Luther."

"Of course, your highness!"

The prince turned to look at the rest of the deck. A few crew members were there along with the knights. One crew member was lazily swabbing the deck without a care in the world. Prince Shoto spotted Iida coming towards him with the prince's sword in its sheath. Iida's own sword was in its sheath attached to his hip. The knight threw the sword up to the prince. He was out of his usual knight's armor. With only a white blouse and black slacks on, Iida looked right where he belonged. Prince Shoto, on the other hand, remained with his proper attire.  
"Practice time, your highness."

"Iida, we set sail only about a couple of hours ago yo-"

The knight wouldn't take Shoto's excuses on that day. He unsheathed his sword and immediately swung towards Shoto's head. The prince dodged by jumping back. The captain shook his fist at the two.

"Don't destroy my ship, ya hear?! You youngin' folk better watchin' ya selves."

Shoto nodded his head to the captain to reassure him and unsheathed his own sword to meet with Iida's in the air. Sparks flew as the two went back and forth with clashing swords. The crew and knights cheered ever so often. The two men moved around the ship with Shoto on the defensive.

"Your skills have grown lackluster, Shoto." he scolded.

Iida threw in a particularly hard hit onto the prince's sword. It chipped the weapon. Shoto sighed and simply threw it to the side as he kicked up to disarm Iida from his sword too. The knight's sword flew up to the helm next to the captain. Shoto knew he was at a huge disadvantage with hand to hand combat against Iida. The knight was taller, stronger, and had more experience. Shoto had a special advantage though. He allowed Iida to punch out, but with a quick side step to the side, he grabbed the knight's wrist and put his hand to his face. Frost already forming, Shoto lightly tapped Iida's forehead to leave a small bit of ice on his skin.

"Alright, you win for now. Though, your powers may not always be there for you, Shoto." Iida grumbled as the prince released his wrist.

* * *

"King Mareo, I advise you to stay calm." a dark haired man sat the table.

The king, queen, young princess, and many others sat around a large round table in the center of a room. The king's advisors and many other high officials were there to discuss one thing and one thing only, the missing princess. After Bakugo was found attacked in the royal stables, the alarm was sounded by Jirou. The whole town searched the forest for her. All activity in the harbor stopped. No ships were allowed to leave or to enter.

"MY DAUGHTER IS GONE, AIZAWA! KIDNAPPED, POSSIBLY DEAD! I CANNOT STAY CALM!" the king slammed his fist onto the table.

The dark circles under his eyes indicated his night of stress for his missing daughter. His queen sat to his right with the seat to his left empty where Momo would usually sit during royal meetings. Next to the queen was a dark haired man with a perpetual tired look on his face. Fuzz on his chin, but never a full beard could grow. Pen and paper were in front of him. A large map in the center of the table had knives stuck through it in multiple areas. Messily drawn "X"s marked the island map.

The king glanced at the seat to his left and his eyes watered at the thought of his daughter. A true warrior at heart and undefeatable in battle. However, if outnumbered or overpowered she would lose, but not without a fight. _Is she injured? Terrified? Is she waiting for someone to rescue her? She left the cage before I could speak with her._

Midoriya knocked. The single tower in the middle of nowhere, but surrounded by guards. He climbed a whole mountain to get here. The barren mountain with rocks and dirt littered throughout. Wind howled loudly through as Midoriya looked around. A guard next to the door eyed him. The wooden door swung open. A guard with a sharp face shaped like a bird appeared before him. A shadow trailed behind him and looked Midoriya straight in the eye. He felt a shiver run down his spine and a sudden chill fill him.

"State your business." the guard shared the shadow's sharp eyes.

"On the behalf of Prince Todoroki Shoto, I have been sent with a message for his brother, Prince Todoroki Akanei."

At the mention of the older prince's name, the sound of a yell ripped through everyone's ears. Midoriya looked behind the guard to see a stairwell going down beneath the ground. _The yell came from there…_ He heard a scream from a woman coming from above up an opposite staircase going up the tower. It made his insides churn. The woman's scream was one of pain, anger, and a taunting of death.

"Come." the guard made way for the messenger.

Midoriya walked quickly towards the stairwell. He past the stairs spirling up into the tower's top. The mold and mildew around the tower stones revealed a history that belonged only to the tower. His eye caught small streaks of ash and scratches. The guard behind him grabbed a torch and lit it. The two made their way down. The messenger breathed in a large breath of air. He could feel an opening coming up soon.

"I warn you to be careful. The prince is known to be spontaneous."

"Thank you for the warning." Midoriya almost whispered out.

"Of course. I will be there right with you and ensure your safety."

He took one last step off the stairs. Midoriya found himself in a large cavern. A lake with a boulder in the center of it. There a man was chained to it. His face stitched and rotting and hair long from years of not cutting it. _The prince.._ Midoriya realized in that instant exactly where he was. He was in front of Prince Todoroki Akane. He was quite far from him, but still close enough to where it made Midoriya freeze.

Prince Todoroki Akane, a traitor to his own people. That is, if you listened to King Enji you would think such. Shoto told Midoriya the truth though. Prince Akane worked to fight against the king's reign. A time of prosperity to many, but destruction to so many more. Books of other magical races would be burned in town squares whenever the king would return to the country after another expedition. All those who knew of the old magical races were made to deny all of it. Immediate death would be the result if they chose to open their mouths.

"So you're the bastard that dared to say my dead title." the chained man's voice echoed through the cavern. "If you have anything from Enji, I don't want it."

"No, it's from Shoto."

The guard stood next to the staircase. Midoriya glanced back at him. His face was calm, but his body was shaking slightly. The prince stopped talking as if thinking over his next action.

"Come a little closer to the water's edge so I can hear you."

Midoriya walked. The prince was still a ways away. He heard the jingle of his chains. His head moved up to catch Midoriya's eye. The older prince's eye was the same mesmerizing blue as Shoto's and Enji's. It seemed to glow in the small amount of light from the guard's torch.

"So, my little brother sent you?"

It was a redundant question that Midoriya was too nervous to say anything to.

"What does he want?"

"He said, the wind is howling through the mountains."

The prince laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Until, it finally all stopped. Prince Dabi looked straight at Midoriya. His face dropped from its grin into a frown.

"Say that again." the prince ordered.

"The.." Midoriya caught his own breath. "Wind is howling through the mountains."

"Alright." his voice dropped down low.

The messenger heard the crack of chains breaking. The guard behind him ran up with his shadow growing larger. However, the prince seemed to fly across the lake. Blue flame enveloping him as he knocked the guard to the ground and covered his mouth. The flames lit the whole cavern to reveal the stray pieces of armor in the lake and blood coating the walls.

"You guards haven't called for reinforcements yet since the last time I tried to escape." the prince pushed the guard down. "Or, Enji didn't send them. Isn't that a shame?" smoke began to form near the prince's hand.

"Please don't kill him." the messenger blurted out.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill him. I'm just going to…"

Prince Dabi aimed the smoke towards the guard's nose. He gave one cough then grew limp. The messenger felt all the blood run from his face. _This is why the king had him locked up…_

"Let's go grab my mother." he stood up and cracked his neck. "It's time to help my little brother with his schemes."

* * *

Bakugo leaned against a wall of the hall with a hand over his stomach. Bandages covered his lower gut area. The medic told him to take it easy, but he couldn't. Though his body was sore and telling him to slow down, Bakugo kept going. Jirou had told him they found Dusk in the forest. Multiple arrows in his leg. The poor horse was lucky to still be alive.

He felt the indent of the wound on his back. Blood was soaking the bandages, but he didn't feel like going back to the medical wing just to replace his bandages. The man took a deep breath in and stood up by himself. He could remember the fight he had with the woman. Her speed was unreasonable and her smile creepy as she stabbed him. She sucked at his lower back for quite a while until he blacked out. It disgusted Bakugo. He felt a sour taste in his mouth form at his own weakness.

The man made it to the stables. Every horse was taken on the rescue mission for Momo. Bakugo clenched his fist at the thought. He allowed himself to be overpowered and now his princess was gone. Jirou was god knows where. Probably stuck in the kitchen instead of out looking for Momo. He wasn't allowed to go out and help. The king actually ordered him to stay put. Knowing the man for many years already, the king knew of Bakugo's tendencies to overdo things.

One stable remained with its door closed. Bakugo heard the faint neigh of a horse. He stumbled his way to the door and opened it. Inside was Dusk. The poor horse on the ground with its back and back legs bandaged. Blood was soaking the bandages, clear that no one had taken the time to replace them that morning. Bakugo kneeled down to stroke the stallion's head. It whined and nudged Bakugo's own bloody bandages.

"I know." he patted Dusk's nose. "Let's fix each other up."

A/N: Another chapter will also be posted on Sunday to satisfy your Todomomo needs! Apologies for such an exposition-filled and short chapter. These aren't always the most fun and emotional to read, but they help to pave the way towards bigger events. Let's raise a glass to the lack of Momo's POV in this chapter. What's going on with her? Well, you'll just have to wait till tomorrow. Thank you for reading, please leave comments or kudos if you feel like it, and have a lovely day! Also follow my instagram (lilmisscreator) to get fanfic updates and other little tid bits. 3

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original work: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont


	5. They Meet

Princess Maemi walked the castle's halls with a fur coat on. It was growing colder. The first snow would soon be upon the island. Storms would soon settle in and it would become more difficult to find her sister. The little girl looked out of a window into the forest. Her father and many others had left after the meeting to search once again. That man, Stain, was with them. His facade obvious to the young princess, but going over the heads of those around her. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she heard a whisper. Her eyes closed as the oracle spirit pulled her into a vision.

 _ **A small blue marble was in the hand of a strange man. He wore a black and white mask. He said no words. Waves of water behind him. His head tilted towards the marble until suddenly it jerked to Maemi's view. Ice began to consume him.**_

Maemi opened her eyes to find herself on the ground. Her lungs devoid of air and breathing heavy. She clenched her fists and stood up. Her knees felt so weak. _They're taking her away by sea. Father and the others have been looking in the wrong place._ She calmed her breathing and began to walk, but her legs came to a sudden stop. She felt her heart twinge with a string of pain. The young princess had rules to follow. She couldn't warn her father or tell anyone of her images in detail. Maemi wasn't allowed to let others change the future. She put a hand over her heart. _I can't let others change the future, but I can._

She began to run. A list of instructions and goals for herself began to form in her head. _Find someone to take me out to sea. Leave a note for father. He will follow, surely, and question every foreign ship. The kidnappers must have gotten out of the harbor way before the search missions began. Their ship is probably smaller._ She stumbled into her own room. The princess grabbed a paper and pen and began to write to her father. _I'll say something about going out to the sea. That raises another problem though, who will take me out to sea?_ She took the short note and folded it into her pocket.

Maemi began running to her father's room. She turned a corner abruptly to be met with a blonde man. She bumped into him. He simply pushed her back a bit in response. His body shirtless with a fresh bandage around his stomach. The young princess turned her head up to look at his face. _Bakugo!_

"Why are you running around, princess?" he had squatted down to be face to face with her.

"Take me to the sea!" she yelled up at him.

"Um, what?" he put a hand on her shoulder.

"People are still going out there. Take me to the sea, Bakugo. As your princess, I order you to!" she grabbed his hand and pulled on it.

"Princess…" Bakugo met her gaze.

"Momo trusts you with her life." Maemi tugged on his arm. "Take me to the sea! I am your princess!"

"Wait, what?" he rose an eyebrow at her.

"If you wish to redeem yourself from your failure of protecting her, take me to the sea." the princess held his hand with both of her own.

She met his gaze. His sharp ruby eyes held conflict in them. She knew this well. A stable boy who was never able to raise above his station from his temper. He watched those around him rise up to become apprentices of different crafts. The man was stuck as a stable boy and wanted so desperately to become something more. The young princess appealed to the selfish side of him. A side that wanted any opportunity to prove himself.

"Do you know where your sister is? Did your visions tell you?" he asked.

"I cannot answer that." she shook her head.

"Why can't you tell your father when he gets back? Why me?"

"Father won't be back until nightfall. I have a note for him, but I need to go now." she tugged his arm again. "I already said why you. Momo trusts you more than anyone on this island."

"Princess…"

"Please, Bakugo."

* * *

Momo felt the cold feel of metal touch her cheek. She kept her eyes closed and face relaxed. Quiet murmurs were around her. The princess felt a slight rocking back and forth while also hearing the crashing of water. She smelled a a salty tang in the air. Her skin could feel the heavy moisture in the air. Someone was breathing down her neck. Momo didn't dare to find out who it was.

"Tomura, stop touching her. If I'm not allowed to, you aren't either." a peppy feminine voice said.

"I'm just making sure that she's still asleep."

She felt the metal feel leave her cheek. Footsteps away from her sounded through the room. Momo knew she couldn't open her eyes, putting her at a huge disadvantage for the moment. She had no idea how many people were in the room or if there were any exits. All she knew was that she was out at sea. No idea how far out, but probably far out enough to where Momo couldn't swim back home. The princess felt pain in her head. It ached and ached. She felt how empty her stomach was. _How long have I been out? Who are these people? Is anyone aware of me missing? What to do, what to do?_

"Doesn't she look so pretty?" she heard a woman sigh. "I would love to slit her throat and suck her blood."

"That's disgusting, Toga!" she heard a man's accusing voice. "We need her alive!"

"We only left the harbor an hour ago, but this darn ship is so slow. I wish we could go faster. I want to get to the Todoroki Kingdom as soon as possible." the woman was speaking again.

"Hey! It was hard to sneak past everything, you know?! They limited the amount of guards at the harbor, but we had to kill a couple before setting sail." The person's voice was extremely playful.

"Would you two quit being so loud?" another person's voice rang through. It was elegant and somewhat alluring.  
 _I have to stay put._

* * *

Bakugo ran out of the castle walls with Princess Maemi ahead of him. She was speeding down the castle's hill into town. The little girl rushed past horses and houses with Bakugo behind her. He cursed internally to himself. _She runs hella fast! What sick shit have they been feeding kids now a days?_ The sight of a shirtless man running after the princess was quite one to see. Many people in the town recognized her and shouted out of her way as she ran.

"Your highness!"

"Pardon!"  
"Princess Maemi?!"

"What on earth!"

Bakugo rolled his eyes at the townsfolk. He sped up to hook his arm around the princess's waist. Using his other hand, he created a spark to blast both of them up into the air. _We have to get moving and find Sero. I'm gonna steal that bastard's boat for what he did to me last time._ Bakugo grimanced as he remembered Sero's antics. Sero had blamed Bakugo for defacing a statue of the king and got Bakugo stuck with a heavy fine. He had to ask Momo for money for it, to which the princess simply dismissed it from him since she knew of Sero's pranks.

The man lightly placed Princess Maemi onto the ground then reached the ground himself. He grabbed her hand to guide her down the harbor area. It was mostly empty, but tons of ships were docked. A few misfits and odds were speckled about. Ships were docked and others left floating in the harbor. They spread out as far as the eye could see. Sails let down and dropping in the lack of wind.

Bakugo kept running until he spotted a small boat. It had a white sail and multiple supplies thrown throughout it. The sail had patches in it with white tape. The man stopped in front of it and climbed on with the princess waiting patiently on the harbor. He looked around the ship to find Sero's name engraved into its inside. Bakugo offered his hand to the princess. She took it and stepped into the ship.

The two set off out of the harbor. Surprisingly, no one stopped them. _The guards are seriously slacking._ Other ships filled the waters, blocking the view of them slowly floating out into the open sea. The man took a paddle from inside the small boat and began to steer it away from the sides of the large ships. Bakugo looked back at the princess. She met his eyes and nodded.

* * *

Prince Shoto stood next to the captain. It had been a tiring time of traveling for two days, but the ship would soon be nearing the main island of the Yaoyorozu Kingdom. The prince tensed slightly at the thought of the kingdom. His duel with Princess Momo would soon be upon him. He's only ever heard rumors of her power. _Would she offensive or defensive? Weapons or maelee? Close ranged or far ranged? What can I find out about her before the inevitable?_ He shook his clouding thoughts away and cast his eyes at the sea. The water a murky blue as the sky remained grey. It was a sharp contrast to the climate of the Todoroki Kingdom. It was not as cold yet there and the first snow would not arrive until a few weeks later.

"So ya highness, ya prepared for ya duel against the princess?" he tipped his hat towards him.

"Captain Luther?" Shoto turned his head to the captain.

"Yes, ya highness."

"Could you tell me more about the princess? You know more of her than I've ever been told."

"Why yes I can!" Captain Luther smiled at the prince. "She's quite a beauty. I've seen her fight in this coliseum thing they got going on. Her skin is fair and eyes are gorgeous. If I was a few decades younger, I would challenge her to a duel. But alas, I am an old laddie. She doesn't cover up a lot though. Lots of skin always showing 'cause dem Yaoyorozu royals have that power of creating items from their skin. I shook her hand before. Royalty in the Yaoyorozu Kingdom is much less strict than in the Todoroki Kingdom, no offense ya highness." the captain pointed to him.

"None taken. However, I was expecting less discussion on her looks. I would like to know mo-"

"More about her personality?"

Shoto sighed. _I was hoping to know more about her fighting style, but it seems like Captain Luther can't help me on that._ He nodded to allow the captain to go on. Luther snapped his fingers and grinned again at the prince.

"I didn't take you for one to like personality, ya highness. Of course, with your whole harem of women and many mistresses back at the kingdom I thoug-"

Shoto choked on air. The prince coughed at the captain's bluntness at rumors. He blushed at the thought and shook his head profusely.

"Captain Luther, those are all rumors. I am not one to mingle with women." Shoto waved him away.

"My apologies, ya highness. There's been lotsa hope for a queen since you came of age. Now that this is all happening, all dem folk trust you will be a good king."

"This is no regular engagement. I could die in my duel with the princess."

"Ah, but I don't think she would do that to ya. She only bestows death upon those who deserve it."

The prince nodded with the captain's words. He threw his line of view to the open sea before them. A ship was there. A bit in the distance, but close enough to see. It was relatively small compared to the royal vessel they were all on. Shoto was expecting to see many more ships on their voyage to the islands. However, there had been a strong lack of them. It was confusing since many people were already travelling to the islands to battle the princess.

He heard heavy footsteps come in from behind him. Shoto already knew who it was before he even opened his mouth. The prince heard the slight readjust of glasses.

"Do you see it too?" Iida looked at him.

"Yes." Shoto kept his eyes on the small ship.

"A more than tad suspiciou' to see a ship all of the sudden after seein' none while travelin' here." the captain inputted.

"What is our course of action, Prince Shoto?" Iida looked out at the ship with him.

"Raise the royal flag and start moving towards them. If they begin to turn away from us, I'll pay a visit myself." he clenched his right fist at the thought.

"Now ya highness, das a little extreme. Th'all could be some common folk and we could scare dem halfway to death." Captain Luther gestured to the ship and shrugged his soldiers.

"Captain, it is too suspicious to let slide." Iida crossed his arms.

"Alright, alright." he cleared his throat. "Crew, get the yer bums off the ground and set course for the ship!"

"Yes captain!" a loud unison of voices sounded.

Crew members began running about the deck. One who was swabbing dropped his mop and jumped onto the main mast to climb to the top. A few others started going up to adjust the sails. Iida turned to the other men sitting down on the ship. That's the first time Shoto noticed there only being men on the ship. He sighed and turned back to look at the smaller ship.

"Knights! Get your gear on. We must be prepared to present the prince and battle at any moment!" Iida commanded.

"Yes sir!"

The knights immediately stood up and made their way down the deck to put on their armor. Iida, him himself without armor, patted Shoto's shoulder then ran down to put on his own armor. The prince, formally dressed as always, put his hands behind his back. He remained with his eyes glued to the small ship. He heard the flap of the royal flag being set into the wind. A few minutes past with the royal flag. The ship continued their direction. _A friendly approach, huh?_

* * *

She heard the footsteps of someone running. Momo heard the opening of a door. There was a small shift of temperature coming from it with cooler sea breeze air quickly rushing through to fill the humid room. There were shuffles of people turning to the door. Momo dared to let her eyes open the slightest. She found herself confronted with the blonde woman in front of her face. Her eyes widened as the woman stared back at her. The woman put a finger to her lips to silence the princess. She put a hand over her own eyes then shook her head. Momo allowed her eyes to close.

"Sir, there is a royal Todoroki ship coming towards us. They have their flag raised peacefully, but I-" the person stammered.

"They're threatening us. Set sail towards them." A man's calm voice said. It was followed by the sound of scratching.

"Yes sir!" the person said. Running footsteps upstairs sounded through the room.

"Everyone, get ready to greet whichever royal official is on the ship. Toga."

"Yeah?" Momo heard the woman's voice come directly in front of her. _She's still onto me._

"Watch the princess."

"Yay!" she squealed.

"Don't touch the princess, Toga!" the enthusiastic voice sounded through. "She's still royalty!"

"Yeah, yeah." the woman waved his words away.

Momo heard multiple people walk up creaking stairs. It was hard to distinguish through. Some were quieter than others and some confused her. _Does someone have multiple legs? Or is someone walking heavier on one leg than another?_ The door then shut tight. The princess heard the tapping of light footsteps away from her and then the lock of the door.

"Now, where were we, princess?" the woman's voice rang.

In an instant, Momo got onto her feet. Her eyes immediately open. The room was relatively messy with desks all around. She had been lying down on sacks of what seemed to be dirt. Knives were stuck into the walls with maps thrown about. She could feel her body as ten times lighter than it usually was. _I haven't eaten in a while._ She tried to pull some sort of weapon from her body, but nothing came out. The woman was standing at the door with a black key and Momo's dagger in her hand. She had a finger in her mouth and frowned at the princess.

"All out of tricks, princess?" her frown grew into a pout.

"As if." Momo grabbed a knife from the walls and faced the woman. Her hands were shaking slightly.

"Even if you defeat me, there's many other people on this ship. How will you escape, princess?" she tilted her head to Momo.

"I know that there's a few people between me and freedom and you're one of them." Momo kept a defensive position.

"Why don't we make a deal instead?" Toga smiled at her.

"I don't make deals with kidnappers." Momo kept her gaze on the woman.

"Kidnapper isn't the exact word, princess." she frowned again. "I prefer…" she dropped the key and held up the knife. "Villain."

* * *

Bakugo looked out to the horizon. He was blasting small explosions to speed up out into the sea. The man let his eyes fall onto the young princess. Her back was turned to him as she too looked out at the horizon. They were hoping for something to see. Possibly a ship where Momo would be. Bakugo allowed his explosions to grow larger. He felt desperate for a sight. They had been going at it for about an hour now. He knew that some point he would have to turn back with the princess. He feared for her safety.

That's when the reality of the situation hit him. He was out at sea on a small ship with what happens to be the most valuable member of the royal family with no protection for her or even a shirt for himself. The sea was cold at this time of year and if they fell in, it would be unforgiving to either one of them. The princess, though spunky, was a fragile child from sickness that plagued her body constantly. _What have I done…_

"Bakugo, I see something!" she pointed to the horizon.

The image of a smaller ship began to emerge into view. However, something else was also seen. A larger ship with a mast so large and beautifully made from its smooth curve compared to the smaller ship closer to the two. Bakugo had only ever seen one ship in his whole life that looked like that. At the age of seven when the Todoroki royals came to visit the Yaoyorozu islands. He was in charge with taking care of a young white mare that belonged to one of the royals. He felt his own breath hitch at the sight before him.

A smaller ship coming from the direction of the Yaoyorozu islands was too good to be true. It couldn't be some random nobodies. Yes, it had to be. Momo was on that ship and Bakugo was going to bring her back home. He opened his hands more to speed the boat up faster.

* * *

The two ships came up side by side with each other. Shoto surveyed the smaller ship. Multiple misfits and strange people were aboard it. All of them in rags and looking up onto the royal vessel. The prince kept his head held high as he watched a smaller group of people stand on their deck and wave towards him. Shoto watched Captain Luther put a piece of wood between the two ships to connect them. The prince went over the piece of wood onto the other ship. Its deck creaked as he stepped onto it. Iida and multiple knights followed him. The knight stood next to the prince with a hand out.

"Presenting his highness, Crown Prince Shoto Todoroki of the Todoroki Kingdom!"

There were three people in the smaller group before him. One person was quite masculine, but Shoto could not place his finger on them as a woman. Their lips large and hands as well as they kneeled before him. The center person was a man with the driest of skin. He scratched his neck, but kneeled as well. The person to the right from the center was a man dressed in a skintight suit. In all black with white lines across his body at certain points. His face was covered. That man took a simple bow.

Shoto put his hand around the hilt of his sword. It remained in his sheath, but he needed a reassurance that it was there if he needed to use it. He caught the sound of a woman's yell and the slight scuffling from below their deck. _What on earth.._

"Greetings your highness." the center man with dry skin spoke. "My name is Shigaraki."

"State your business, Shigaraki." the prince unsheathed his sword, feeling particularly threatened and planted it down into the deck in front of himself. The chip in it from his tussle with Iida a few days earlier stood out among its otherwise excellent craftsmanship.

The dry skin person was first to rise. "Your highness, we were challengers of Princess Momo. However, after seeing her new champion, we all left the island." The other two rose after him.

"I see. How many people are on the ship?" Shoto kept his hands on his sword.

"About twenty, your highness. All men, since we were off to duel the princess." the man scratched his neck, dry skin flaking off.

A high pitched scream sounded from below the deck. More scuffling sounds and tumbling until everyone turned to the door leading down below the deck. It was swung open by a woman with dark hair. It was messy and flowing down. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises. One of her eyes was slightly shut, probably from someone hitting her there. Shoto took one glance at her. His blood began to boil. He felt insulted. _They lied._

* * *

Momo opened the door out into the open. The sight before her was one to behold. Multiple men turning their heads to her. Some dressed strangely and man quite regal looking standing nearby. She felt the ache of her body and her breathing become heavier as she ran out of the door. Cuts all across her back and chest were already beginning to heal. The Toga woman was close behind her and she had no intention of being captured again. The princess ran out into the open. Many people were on the deck. A man in proper attire with men in armor behind him. Three people across from the man, each with a unique look to them. Many more men behind the three, all staring at her. Momo caught the proper man's eyes.

One of gray and the other of blue, both brilliant in color. She didn't know what to do. He didn't seem like one of the people who kidnapped her. From the larger ship next to the one she was on, Momo could spot the royal Todoroki flag on its top. She sent a plea for help in a single look. _I don't know if I can trust this man right now, but this is all I have._ The princess turned away from the man and darted for the edge of the ship. The sea waters would be cold around this time of year, but there was no worry for that at the moment. Men started yelling.

"Catch her!"

"Don't let her get away!"

She jumped.

* * *

Shoto watched the woman jump. The single look she gave him made him feel certain of the suspicious nature of the men. Her body disappeared over the edge of the ship. The prince felt a bursting rush of adrenaline kick into his body. _I can no longer trust them. They are enemies._ In an instant, he turned the right side of his body towards the three men in front of him. The looks on their faces were those of sheer terror as the prince took in a deep breath. The air was slightly chilly along with the dark sky.

Ice jutted out from the prince's body. It encased all the men on the ship and covered the entrance to their ship's deck. He spotted a blonde woman ticking away at the ice there and heard her muffled yelling. The temperature all around him dropped dangerously low. The Todoroki people were fine with their ability to not feel extreme temperatures and have regularly temperature regulating bodies. Others, unfortunately, did not have that ability. He exhaled a breath that created a cloud in front of him.

The prince began to run. He past the frozen statues of the three men and made his way up the gigantic iceberg he had created. Shoto peeled his coat and shirt off, leaving his chest bare. He could feel the tilt of the ship from the weight of the ice, but he couldn't worry about that now. He heard the scoldings and shouts from Iida, but paid them no mind. There was only one thing racing through his head as he reached the tip of the ice and jumped.

A/N: I really hated leaving all of you hanging, but here's another chapter! And another cliffhanger. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and finally getting the sweet satisfaction of Momo and Shoto first seeing each other. Tell me how you felt in the comments below!

Momo and Shoto finally see each other. They don't know it's each other yet though, don't spoil it for them! I decided to parallel this chapter with the episode from the final exam arc where Momo saves Todoroki. This time, Todoroki gets to do the saving. Tell me what you think about them jumping off the ship. Literally and figuratively.

Also, what do you all think about Maemi? Did you notice how Bakugo only calls her princess? Do you like the Todoroki harem gag or that he's rumored to have lots of women around him? Is Captain Luther compelling at all?

As always, thank you and have a wonderful day! Come back on Sunday for a new chapter update

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original work: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont


	6. Rescue

Momo could feel all of it. The cold water consumed her as she sank down into the sea. _What was I thinking?_ She struggled to swim back up and soon felt the cold settle into her body. Her hand extended towards the surface. _I'm sorry._ She said it to no one in particular as the princess saw the change of light coming into the water as a large object emerged. She couldn't exactly make out what it was. All she could make out was the sudden chill she felt in her body. Her eyelids drooped as someone entered the water above her. Their dive was elegant, almost perfect except for the rushed way it was executed. Momo could see the red and white hair jostle through the water. That was the last thing she saw.

* * *

Water was always strange. It consumed a person unforgivingly. Even Shoto could feel the sudden chill of the water. _A Yaoyorozu person wouldn't survive this…_ He opened his eyes under the water and saw her. Her body suspended in the dark water. Her long hair spreading all across as she shunk lower and lower into the depths. The red cloth around her legs flowing in the water. Her armor was weighing her down. He made his way down to her and hooked an arm around her body. He said a silent apology in his head as he peeled her armor off of her body. The armor pieces sank down into the depths. Her naked body left exposed to the cold water, the prince took the red cloth and wrapped it around her. He swam up as his left side did its best to keep her warm.

Shoto broke through the surface of the water. He could see the iceberg above him, looming with the threat of tipping over into the ocean. He held onto woman. Her hair wet and sprawled all across. Everything felt intensely cold, in a way that Shoto could never describe before. It was lonely and uninviting. A cold that decided to naw at this soul. No matter how much he used his left to keep the two of them warm, he couldn't feel any of it.

The woman began to stir. He released his grip on her slightly and allowed her to move. She had her head resting on his chest and seemed to nuzzle closer. He blushed at her quiet actions. The woman sighed with a little smile. The prince felt a rush of self consciousness and embarrassment for holding her so close. _I don't even know this woman._ He loosened his hold around her, almost letting go of her completely. He heard her sharply inhale, then she began coughing. She threw up water back into the sea. It was a strangely large amount that both disturbed and fascinated Shoto. _The Yaoyorozu people are able to survive just about anything and that seems like drowning as well._ The woman tilted her head up to him. Her head then drooped down back against his chest.

"Thank you." was all she quietly murmured before closing her eyes once again.

The prince spotted Iida and the other knights already lowering a boat off of the royal ship to get both of them out of the water. He wished they were able to be there sooner. The cold was getting to him and though the woman looked comfortable, he didn't want to somehow faint and leave her hanging. Shoto took in a breath of the cold air around him. It stung his lungs. He did his best to keep a consistent flow of energy going to his left side. The prince looked up, away from Iida and the knights, to find a boat coming straight towards both of them.

A man inside of the boat was yelling. Explosions were coming from his hands. His blonde hair wild as the boat neared Shoto and the woman. A small girl was inside the boat too. Her small hands clutched onto the side from the speed the boat was traveling. _Holy shit!_ Shoto sharply inhaled and lifted his hand above the water. He swiped it across the air, forming a wall of ice that plunged into the sea water. Its contact in the water caused a force that drove him and the woman under the waves. Shoto quickly placed a hand over the woman's mouth and nose to protect her. He could hear the distant yelling from both Iida and that man. He had only one instinct in that moment as he extended his hand under the waves out towards the boat. Ice jutted out from his hand and the prince could see it encasing the small boat. _Iida's going to be upset with all the mini icebergs I've created today._

Shoto brought both his and the woman's heads above the surface. He removed his hand from the woman's mouth and nose. His hand instinctively brushed against her cheek to check on her, but he quickly removed it. _What am I doing?_ The prince held onto her as he heard the man still yelling. The small boat was on the other side of the ice wall. _I should have made it thicker._ An explosion went off, sending himself and the woman backwards into the water again.

* * *

Momo felt herself gain consciousness. She was submerged in sea water. It felt warm around her. Strangely warm that wasn't familiar for what time of of the year it was. The princess felt arms around her back and unusually constricted. She opened her eyes to be met with two other ones. One of blue and one of gray. It was the same man. One of his eyes was slightly closed and pain was drawn across his face. Momo opened her mouth. Huge mistake. Water gushed in and she quickly closed it as both of them rose of the surface. She blurted out the water and looked at the man again.

He was blushing, but kept his grip around her waist. His eyes were averted from her's, opting to look behind her. She turned her head to see him. Bakugou standing on a piece of floating ice. It looked as if he had blasted a hole in it. His body with was without a shirt, which was unusual for the time of year because Bakugou hated the cold. Bandages were around his stomach. Momo could see blood coming from them. _He must have reopened a wound. Goodness!_ Beyond him, she could see Maemi. Momo's eyes met her sister's. Maemi pointed her index finger at Momo and the older princess' mouth dropped. _What is going on?! And why is Bakugou shirtless?!_

"LET GO OF HER!" Bakugou yelled with smoke coming from his hands.

"Why should I?"

She felt the man adjust his grip on her. He pulled her to the side so they both could face Bakugou. His right hand was extended towards her friend. Frost was beginning to form on his fingertips. Momo felt a sudden drop in temperature and shivered.

"Katsuki, please calm down! I'm fine!" Momo yelled.

"Stand down!"

Momo turned her head to see a small row boat. Five men were on it. Each adorned in armor and aiming a bow towards Bakugo. The person who had spoke was a man with glasses. _These two sides._ She looked at the man next to her. He was holding her close, warming her again. The princess looked beyond Bakugo to see Maemi standing on the boat. The little girl stood up onto the blasted ice wall next to Bakugo. She curtsied. _Maemi never crusties. Why now?_

"Good sir. I must request that you let go of my sister. If you were not aware, she is Crown Princess Momo Yaoyorozu. As you are in Yaoyorozu territory, I recommend accepting my request before my guard here kills every man you have in an instant." the little princess lifted her head. "I, myself, am Princess Maemi Yaoyorozu."

"Princess, what are you doing?" Bakugo grabbed onto her arm.

The man holding her froze. His grip on her loosened and his right arm dropped. He looked away from her. Momo turned to the glasses man, who began clearing his throat.

"My deep apologies, Princess Maemi. We are men from the Todoroki Kingdom." the glasses man bowed before her.

"I am already aware of that." Maemi was standing straight again. _She always could never curtsy for longer than fifteen seconds._

"Before you, holding onto your sister, is Crown Prince Shoto Todoroki. He has come here to fight for her hand."

Maemi sighed, annoyed by the man. "I am already aware of that as well. Don't insult me."

Momo felt the man twitch beside her. She looked to him. The princess moved her hand below his chin and turned his head to her. His eyes dug into her soul. They were searching for something, but they couldn't find it. _Prince Shoto…_

" **LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!"**

Everyone, except Prince Shoto, covered their ears through the loud voice. _Present Mic!_ It boomed through the air and shook the sea. Waves began forming again. Momo looked to the prince, who was still looking down at her. She felt a wave of embarrassment rush over. _My clothes are gone and I'm presenting myself in front of my future husband like this?_ She blushed and looked away from him.

" **KING MAREO HAS ARRIVED!"**

Ships began to emerge from the horizon. Actually, just saying ships would be an underestimate. There was over a hundred breaking through the horizon. The sky was still filled with clouds and the cold, but Momo felt none of it. On a ship ahead of all the others stood her father. His large figure was undeniably distinguishable from everything else. It relieved Momo beyond relief to see her father. She didn't notice at first, but tears began falling down her cheeks. She felt Prince Shoto's hand brush them away.

* * *

"That's your story?"

King Maero sat at the same large roundtable as he was in the former night. Prince Shoto stood next to him. The young man had grown quite a lot since the last the king saw him. He was shaping up to be a good and strong man. His eyes still reminded the king too much of King Enji. King Maero hand his hands folded together in front of him. His officials and the queen were present. He made little Maemi banned from meetings for the time being. The little girl didn't know when to leave it to the adults. Her brash nature was probably influenced from her sister.

The king looked out upon the table. The maps all strewn across it before had been cleaned up. Now, books and papers were stacked on it. Aizawa, the Yaoyorozu captain of the royal guards, was looking over his own notes of Prince Shoto's recount of the situation. The scruffy man scratched his head and looked to his king. A blonde man next to him, Yamada, had his legs on the table. King Maero looked to his queen. Her blonde curls were in a mess from the morning commotion. It wasn't even lunch time yet and so much had happened. He looked beyond his queen to the Todoroki knights standing near the entrance to the meeting room. One in particular with blue hair, was looking down at the ground.

"Yes, King Maero. That is all I remember happening. I do not know of Princess Momo's situation. At the time, I was unaware that the people I had frozen kidnapped her."

"Alright. I thank you personally, Prince Shoto, for your involvement and willingness to help my daughter. I am in debt to you. Everyone," the king stood from his seat. "You are all dismissed until further notice. The criminals we caught tonight are down deep in the dungeons. Please enjoy this day with your families."

"Wait, your highness." Aizawa spoke.

"Yes, Aizawa?"

"Prince Shoto is to duel Princess Momo, but she is currently out of commission. What should we do about that?"

"Well, Stain is still around. We will have them two duel tomorrow. We will provide the prince and his men rooms. There's much to do on the Yaoyorozu island. However, I would like to have Princess Maemi join you if you are to go out anywhere."

"Thank you, King Maero. I do not plan to go out anywhere though. It has been a long journey to the islands and I would quite like to rest. Your consideration is appreciated." the prince bowed to him.

"No need to bow, my boy! Come! Everyone is dismissed! No more unhappiness or grim looks. We must rejoice tonight!"

"Another feast, Maero?" his wife rolled her eyes.

"Yes, my love! Tonight we shall celebrate our princess."

Prince Shoto slipped out of the meeting room through King Maero's commotion. Iida, thankful, didn't notice him at all. He roamed the dark halls of the castle as women were rushing about. The news of the feast had spread quickly. It was as if everyone already knew what the king was planning. He sighed and leaned against a wall. His eyes closed. _I met my future wife in the strangest of ways. I have to apologize to her and prepare for a duel._ He heard someone's footsteps.

"So, prince boy, what are you doing here? Is the meeting over already?"

"Hm?"

He opened his eyes to find the same blonde man. Katsuki seemed to be his first name, but Shoto didn't know his last name at all. His relations to the princess seemed strange. The man was clearly friends with her, but no one of notable rank. He was incredibly strong from his blasts that Shoto already saw, so he kept caution at his side. The man now had a shirt on with a fur coat. His shirt was more of a tank top though and he didn't look too bothered by the cold. He was leaning against a wooden crutch on his right side. The man's mouth twisted into a smile that was not comforting or warm in any manner.

"Nevermind. Come with me, hot shot." the man walked past Shoto and waved his hand.

"To where exactly?"

"There's plenty to do with the rest of the day and the feast later tonight, but there's something you want to do, don't you?" the man put his hands in his pockets.

"Are we going to see Princess Momo?"

"No, we're going to a brothel." the man turned around to look Shoto straight in the eyes. The prince choked on air and put a hand over his own mouth. Katsuki rolled his eyes. He adjusted his grip on the crutch. "Of course we're going to see Momo, dumbass. What's the reaction with the brothel suggestion? You a prude or something?" the man kept walking.

"Ka-"

"The name's Bakugo by the way. Don't call me Katsuki and don't expect any respect from me. You're not my royal."

The prince nodded and followed Bakugo. The two walked past stone walls and down halls. His eyes caught the ones of maids and other servants who rushed by them in preparation for the night. He saw the flags with the symbol of the Yaoyorozu Kingdom proudly on it. _I'm no longer in familiar territory._

A/N:This chapter was a doozy to write! I actually cut a scene that I really liked where Shoto and Momo got to talk to each other. Lots of great character interaction that I will be saving for future chapters.

Feel free to comment and give kudos! Do you wonder where Stain is? Does King Mareo trust or is simply putting on an act in front of Prince Shoto? What's going on with Dabi and Midoriya? What's Maemi's quirk? So many questions and so few answers... Well, this fic was meant to be long from the start. Let's give it a kind estimate of forty chapters until the end. I've set up a tale of love and misfortune for Todomomo and this ship clearly deserves a long fic. There is a strong lacking and I am UPSET by it. Everyone please write more long fics for Momo and Todoroki and I can die happy. Thanks. Also, shout out to one of my friends from the BNHA if she reads this. 3

As always, thank you for reading and have a lovely day!

EDIT: Also clarification on ages:

Momo is 18 (stated as of age)

Shoto is 20 (stated as beyond of age)

Iida is 22

Bakugou is 19

Jirou is 18

Maemi is 8

Midoriya is 18

Dabi is 26

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original art: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont


	7. Hold Your Breath

Momo awoke. She was in her room in the tower. The window's shutters were closed and her bookshelves were beginning to look strangely dusty, even though she had dusted them only a few days ago. It felt surreal. The princess lifted her right hand in the air. _What happened?_ She looked at it, then began to remember. She remembered jumping into the water. She remembered that faint moment of death before she was brought to the surface by him.

Him. Him became her savior in only a matter of moments of knowing each other. Him became a trusted companion in the matter of minutes. Him became all the fish in the sea and all the stars far away. She felt consumed by the thoughts of him. Her hands against his chest. Full of scars and marks from probably years of training and fighting. Her eyes looking into his. Beautiful and of duel colors of both the sky and mountains. It felt so wrong to think all these thoughts just because of him. She never had met him before, but she felt the connection. The warmth of the hearth and comfort of bed.

The princess shook the thoughts away and sat up in her bed. Her circular room, which she usually appreciated as spacious, was lonely. She remembered the man brushing her tears away. The water was so cold that no one else dared to dive into it. The man's powers keeping her warm. _Why do I keep referring him to some stranger of a man? I know who he is…_ That's right. Prince Shoto Todoroki. Famed for being a charmer among woman and powerful with the duel powers from his parents. She got out of her bed.

Momo remembered being kidnapped. How the Toga woman was able to transform into Bakugo and lure her into a false sense of security. It kept the princess on edge. They got her in a vulnerable state and took advantage of that. She needed to rebuild her walls. She needed to keep safe until her father beheaded every single one of them who was involved.

A knock came from the door. A soft knock from little hands. A smile came across her face as Maemi opened the door and came in with a tray of food. Momo lifted her hands above her head and stretched. Her dark hair down and free as the younger princess placed down the tray on the table next to Momo's bed.

"You've only been out for a few hours, but you haven't eaten since yesterday. I thought you would be hungry."

"I'm _starving_ , Maemi." Momo snatched a small loaf of bread from the tray and bit into it.

"You weren't able to use your quirk to create a weapon, were you? You aren't one to run unless it's absolutely necessary." the younger princess pointed a finger at a book on the bookshelf.

It disappeared in the blink of an eye and appeared in her hands. Princess Maemi's quirk of teleportation. She could teleport any type of object or being to her. It's size contributed to how much energy she had to use to bring it to her. Momo watched her sister. The girl was surely shaping up to be quite the young lady. Her legs were crossed and posture straight. She took after their mother, a true lady at heart. However, Momo took after her father. His training on her rubbed bad habits of legs uncrossed and loud laughs instead of the quiet giggles. She used the back of her hand to wipe a bread crumb from her mouth.

"Eat up, Momo. Your stomach is starting to look flat and you know what that means." the little lady opened the book's cover.

"I know, I know." The princess kept up on eating the various amounts of food on the tray.

"Sorry to nag at you, but-"

"Oh Maemi. Only eight and you're as wise as one of eighty. Don't apologize. Though, if you continue I might have to kick you out." Momo frowned at her sister then took a bite from an apple.

"Alright, Momo." the little girl dragged a trunk, probably full of weapons, from the side of Momo's room and placed it in front of her sister. She took a seat and placed the book next to her. "I wanted to tell you though, I now know who you're going to marry." the younger princess let her legs swing back and forth.

"I thought you already knew?" Momo opened the drawer of her bedside table to grab a hair tie. She began putting her hair up into its regular spiky ponytail.

"I only knew what he looked like, but now I know his name." she smiled and looked at her shoes.

"Really now? Did you have another vision that revealed it?" the older princess put a finger to her lips thoughtfully.

"I guess so. Not exactly that though." she snickered for some odd reason. "He's beautiful. I hope when you two get married, you truly are happy with him. You look like you are in the visions." Maemi stood up and began to twirl around the room. "I keep on having a continuation of the same vision. Though, it's never back to back." The younger princess jumped on top of the trunk and twirled again. "He's always dancing so gracefully with you."

"He is?" Momo laughed. Her sister always pulled herself back into that innocent attitude. No matter how old or ladylike she seemed in certain moments, the younger princess never allowed people to forget of who she truly was. A child of eight that knew too many curse words from an irresponsible stable boy and tried to pull down stars with the point of a finger.

"Yes! You two are always endlessly twirling and going on and on. I get dizzy during those visions sometimes." Maemi jumped onto Momo's bed and landed on her stomach. She mumbled into the sheets. Momo could only catch the word "elegant" from her.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Maemi shot up like a goose.

"Hmm…" Momo continued eating her food, but threw glances at her sister, who got back into reading. "I think I'm going to go out into the forest and train for my duels tomorrow. I suspect that I won't have time tonight."

"You literally were kidnapped yesterday, Momo. Stay here!" Maemi put her book down.

"I won't go far. I can only walk, so I'll be fine."

"Lies."

"Maemi…"

"I'll let you go, but let me go out first so the maids don't somehow tattle on me. You better not go far." she pouted at her older sister.

"Alright, alright. Now go!"

Momo sighed as Maemi scuffled out the room . The princess looked down at her body. A maroon cloth covered her breasts and she had brown shorts on to compliment them. She assumed her father made them for her from the colors. He was the only one who liked the color brown in the family. Momo's mother liked yellow and Maemi liked blue. Momo didn't know exactly what color she liked the best, but she was fond of red. The princess stretched her arms above her head as she heard her sister's little footsteps fading away. _What should I train on first? Maybe some mace or melee?_ She walked to her door, grabbing a maroon hooded cape hanging nearby, and made her way out.

* * *

Midoriya's whole body quaked. Prince Dabi stood with the ashes of a man in his hands. The prince's mother, Queen Rei, sat upon a wooden crate. The three had made their way towards the capital city. With each step they took on the journey, Midoriya grew more and more uneasy. Prince Dabi never told him what "The wind is howling through the mountains." meant or what their goals were. All Midoriya knew was that the prince didn't want anyone catching a single glimpse of them. They were in an alleyway of the Todoroki Kingdom's capital city of Taiyo. A place that seemed strangely quiet. It was as if the city was holding its breath. Something was about to happen and Midoriya knew he was currently assisting with it.

Prince Dabi turned to him. No longer shirtless like he was in the cavern, with clothes they had taken from a village nearby the mountains. Midoriya felt every part of his body screaming to run. Run and find King Enji. Run and find the knights and put the eldest prince back in the place where he belonged. The prince wasn't meant to be with the outside world. His twisted thoughts and nature kept Midoriya quiet.

"So, where is my brother, messenger?" the ashes fell from his hand onto the ground.

"Across the sea at the Yaoyorozu Islands. He is to duel Princess Momo Yaoyorozu for her hand." Midoriya turned his head away from the prince.

"Good, that's good. My people were meant to kidnap the princess, but I guess there's been a change of plans." Dabi walked in front of the queen. "Isn't that right, mother?"

The woman didn't say a word. Her eyes were stuck looking at the ground. Her body pale and sickly with hair that frayed with split ends. Her cheeks hollow and wrinkles on her face. She looked like a ghost to Midoriya. Someone who wasn't quite alive anymore. Midoriya kept still. _What did the king do to her?_

"My brother would like a little discourse before his return."

Flames licked at the prince's hand. He rose it and let it glide across the wooden building of the alleyway. It set ablaze with the hot, blue flame that cursed the world. Midoriya's legs stayed still.

"Isn't that right, messenger?" he grinned at Midoriya.

* * *

Shoto barely got out of the castle before he heard the heavy footsteps. Only one person had those footsteps and honestly the prince turned around before he knew the person would put their hand on his shoulder. There was Iida. The knight, still in his armor, with a grave look on his face. Bakugo noticed the man and turned around. He was frowning.

"Shoto, we need to train for your duel."

"It's tomorrow, Iida. I don't have much to worry about. The princess's decision is her own." he shrugged.

"No, I meant we need to train for your _duels_." the knight put hands hands onto Shoto's shoulders to look into his eyes. "Do you understand?"

"I am already aware of the Stain man I have to duel as well. It will be fine, Iida."

"I think you should train."

Iida and Shoto turned to Bakugo, who had decided to speak up. He looked strange in a crutch. The man presented himself with so much vigor in his first impressions for Shoto, but now seeing him like this was off putting.

"Stain killed over fifty men on the day he arrived. The cage arena will never get the stench of blood washed out after that." the man rested into his crutch. "And Momo…" he let his posture drop as sudden thoughts took over him. "She is not what she seems."

"What do you mean, sir?" Iida let go of Shoto's shoulders to turn his attention to Bakugo.

"You heard me. That's all you're going to get, so fuck off now." he turned and started back into the direction towards the castle's exit.

"Sir! Do-"

"I said, fuck off."

"Shoto, who was that man?"

"A friend of Princess Momo, I assume. He called her by name."

The two men were walking into the forest. Iida suggested they find a small clearing and practice there, away from prying eyes. Neither of them cold feel it very well, but the cold was beginning to hit hard. Many people around the island were bundled up in coats and the evergreen trees drooped in the wind. Shoto placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. It was chipped, proving that it was wearing out. He would have to get a new one before his duel with the princess. Iida finally found a clearing and feeling satisfied, took all his armor off. He quickly turned and began to charge towards the prince without a second thought.

"Iida, why do you always do this?!" the prince quickly dodged a punch by jumping to the right.

"I learned from a few people in the castle that the princess uses a mix of different weapons and hand to hand combat." he threw another punch that Shoto caught his a hand. "She's an expert in _everything_." the knight grabbed onto the prince's wrist with both hands and threw his body to the floor. "I never knew a person like her could exist, but I don't want to ignore any information. I must prepare you!"

Shoto flicked his right hand to stop himself from hitting the ground. He twisted up and grabbed onto Iida's right arm. His footing secured as he kneed the knight into the stomach. It didn't faze him though, as the knight knew all of Shoto's tricks. Iida retaliated with a kick to Shoto's chest. It knocked the wind out of him and sent him backwards.

"Your powers can't make up for the lack of technique you have." the knight wiped drop of sweat on his face. "The princess has been training since birth to become one thing and one thing only, a warrior. I've spoken to those who dueled her already. They're all broken, torn down by her. None said that they could hold a flame to her. You can't jump into someone's territory and expect to be fine, Shoto." -

"I know, Iida…"

"Then why do you refuse to train or to prepare in any type of way?!" his body untangled itself from a fighting position and he relaxed.

"Because I already know the princess has chosen not to kill me." Shoto stood on his own two feet.

"There's still that Stain man."

"Iida, have you seen the Stain man?"

"No, I-I haven't, but-"

"He wasn't even present at the meeting. He hasn't shown up at all. Most likely gone by now from the reopened harbor." Shoto unsheathed his chipped sword and threw it onto the ground. "Besides that, I need a new sword before my duel."

"Take mine." the knight threw his own sword onto the ground. "Take mine and think for once in your life, Shoto. Think without hatred for your father or sadness for your mother. Think for yourself." Iida walked away, leaving the prince by himself.

* * *

He chuckled to himself in the tree. The thick evergreen trees this time of year were always so easy to hide in. His eyes darted down to the two men in the clearing. The prince had thrown his sword at the ground in frustration. A young man who didn't have the experience or smarts to realize him in the tree. His tattered red scarf hung down low. The cold wind blew strongly. He sharply inhaled as he watched the two. They knew nothing, nothing of what he could do to them. _A royal's blood? Seems interesting to have._

* * *

The royal hall was stuffed full of tables in front of the four throne for the Yaoyorozu royalty. People roamed back in forth, some singing, and others drinking like there was no tomorrow. The feast was overseen by King Mareo, who would swing his arm around people's shoulders and laugh. Princess Maemi nibbled on bread while sitting on her throne. The queen opted to dance with others on top of tables. The Yaoyorozu people always found time to party, but some didn't find the time at all. The royal advisor Aizawa and Sir Yamada sat at a quieter corner, discussing various topics with each other. Some of the Todoroki knights had taken it upon themselves to party as well. Prince Shoto was gone, somewhere outside the castle. Iida could be seen scolding his knights on misbehaviors.

Princess Momo was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't in the hall, not wanting to partake in the feastivities. There was only one thing going through her mind as she swung her sword in the clearing. The weapon sliced the frigid air at unthinkable angles. Her teeth were bared as rushes of adrenaline came and went. She couldn't do it. She couldn't make a decision. _I let men rule my life! I let them decide my future! I am Princess Momo Yaoyorozu! I am the fiercest warrior in all our lands! I can't HESITATE!_ She swung her sword into a tree's trunk. The princess left it there and let herself fall onto her knees. _I was weak in front of him. I was vulnerable. I didn't put up my walls and instead let them fall as I held onto his chest. HIS CHEST!_ She punched the tree. Skin was scratched over her knuckles, but they were quickly healing over. Her body was without a single scar or blemish. Her accomplishments or failures would never be displayed for the world.

Prince Shoto saw her. Her sword sliced through the air with such exact precision that it frightened him. Her skills rivaled those of Iida's. Goosebumps were forming on her arms from the frigid air. She was exhaling clouds of warm air. He watched her from the bushes. The woman before him wasn't the one he was holding at sea. She was baring her teeth. Her dark eyes were like ink, dripping and uncontrolled. He clenched his chest. _She's different when fighting. It's like something had consumed her._ The princess swung her sword into a trunk and punched the tree. She was pretty in the moonlight. He looked up at the sky as if in silent prayer. _I'm not ready._

An arrow flew past his cheek into a tree's trunk in front of the prince. He touched the skin it grazed. There was not a single scratch or even hint of irritation. Shoto turned his head to find the princess in the clearing. In her hands was a crossbow without an arrow. She couldn't see him quite yet, but the prince felt his heart drop at his single look at her. The princess looked like an animal. A primal glint in her dark eyes was from a different person. It wasn't from the same eyes of the woman he held in his arms in the sea. They were those of a wolf that loomed through quiet snow swept forests and led packs to find prey. They were searching the bush for him. He let his breath hitch.

"I know you're there. Come out." The way she said those words tugged on the insides of Shoto's body. The words did not plead or command. They only asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." he stilled himself.

"Oh? And why is that?" Shoto heard the princess loading her crossbow. Her voice changed from when she previously spoke. It was now silky, smooth, and uncomfortably enchanting.

"You would not like to see me." the prince spoke what he thought the truth was.

"Why would you assume such?" she began walking towards him.

"I am unsightly." Shoto was grasping onto the first thought that came to mind.

"That is quite rude to say of yourself. No one could be as unsightly as I when I am training." the princess's voice changed _again_ to something similar to when he was out at sea with her. It was comforting.

"Now, that is quite rude for _you_ to say of yourself."

"So you know what I look like? It's rude to not properly introduce yourself to a woman before looking upon her." she was stepping closer and closer to him.

"Well, many think of me as a rude person." he sighed.

"Rude? In what sort of ways?" she came to a halt.

"People think of me as a man who can't breathe without a woman." the prince pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Those people are wrong to think of you as rude because it's true."

"What is?" he heard her move forward again and could feel her presence around him.

"That people can't breathe without each other." she said in a final sort of way.

The presence of her was too close for comfort. Shoto quickly turned around before she could glimpse him. He slapped his right hand over her eyes. Her crossbow dropped onto the ground and her hands quickly went to his shoulders. She tugged him forward, kneeing him in the gut. The wind was knocked out of him and his hand went off of her eyes. The way her eyes widened when she saw him struck another string in Shoto's heart. His back was against a tree's trunk. His arms were up to defend himself with bits of frost on his fingertips. His heart was racing thirty miles an hour and refusing to settle down as the princess reached out a hand to touch him.

"Prince-"

"Prince Shoto Todoroki of the Todoroki Kingdom. C-Correction, I am crown, yes crown prince." he cut her off, lowering his hands and allowing the frost to flake off. He sharply inhaled and watched the goosebumps on her skin increase dramatically. She took a step back. "I never properly introduced myself before looking upon you." Shoto reminded.

"You." she pointed a finger at him. Her hands were shaking violently and her breathing quickened.

"Yes, princess?" he reached out a hand to her.

Princess Momo retracted her hand and pulled it close to her chest. She took another step back and another until she stopped. The edges of her eyes were threatening tears. The wind was blowing hard and messed with the prince and princess's hair. _Why is she.._ He took a step forward towards her, his hand still extended to the princess. She didn't move as he got closer to her. Shoto's hand went to her cheek to wipe off a tear that had fallen down.

She felt every nerve of her body on edge. Everything was screaming to run and hide. Her eyes were welling up and her hands were shaking unlike before. He was right there in front of her. The electric feelings came back full force and she tried so hard to push them away. His eyes really were beautiful. That blue and gray were mesmerizing. Momo couldn't stand for how they made her feel. His posture was perfect. It was always so fit and straight. The way his eyebrows lifted in confusion at her actions entice her beyond belief. There were thoughts racing through her brain and all of them came to the same conclusion. _I choose him._ Every part of her was betraying the walls she wanted to keep up, her words wouldn't though.

"I can't marry you."

"Huh? I-"

She ran past him. Blood coursing through her veins and the distance increasing between her and the prince.

"Wait, princess!"

The princess kept going. Her body now listening to her commands. They left behind the crossbow, the punched tree trunk, and the prince for something that Momo seeked more than anything. That something made her heart soar. She wanted freedom. She wanted to move and fight and not be around the prince. He made her feel something she didn't want to. It was a fluster, a whirl, a blur as Momo ran. She couldn't hear if he was following her or not, but she couldn't care at that moment. She could only care for herself and only herself.

A/N: Oof. This chapter has gone through SO MANY rewrites, you guys would not believe it. I've had a couple where Stain played a more prominent role and in the end I just wanted to get him in there a little. I really needed that Maemi and Momo scene so badly and I've taken it out and then put it back in and sometimes I've edited it, but honestly just take it because this chapter has been two weeks of me just screaming at myself both on the inside and outside. I'm still not totally satisfied by it, but hey why nOT.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments below and please give criticism or tell me any mistakes in grammar or spelling or like whatever. You're not being rude tbh, it really helps me as a growing writer. How'd you think of the Momo and Shoto scene? Is Iida too out of character? Is there way too much foreshadowing shoe horned into this and like all of y'all are confused as heck? Are you hyped for the battle next chapter? (The duels are literally the driving point of this entire fic and there's still so much story to go through after that. We're gonna have ARCS, man, ARCS!)

Thank you so much for reading this chapter of Win Her Favor! Let's all hold our breath as we wait for next Saturday where I'll post (hopefully) the single chapter that started it all. The original Win Her Favor was meant to be super short since the driving point was really Todoroki and Shoto's outfits from the fantasy au and with the main idea of a gladiator style battle. Everything else just kinda happened. Also, this fanfic is part of a series now holy fucccc. Its prequel and sequal will be released after Win Her Favor is done.

Anyways, get hyped for next week. It's the moment you all have waited for. No, literally, it's been like 7 full chapters and you readers deserve this. Momo and Shoto didn't even meet till like chapter 5, wHOOPS.

Sorry for rambling, but I appreciate everything my readers say and just simply you reading this fanfic of mine makes me happy. Thank you, as always, and please have a lovely day.

also shout out to HuaFeiHua, you all should go read her Orchid in Bloom fanfic it's pretty gr8 also MULAN

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original art: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-don


	8. Unexpected

Prince Shoto was shaking. His whole world came crashing down. King Enji sent him to the islands to fight, but he was fighting more than a single woman. He was fighting a country, a country of people that wouldn't bat an eye to kill him if he dared scratch their princess. The prince couldn't bring himself to be still as he stood before the closed gate of what the people called the cage with Iida at his side. On the other side would be the Stain man. Shoto wasn't prepared at all. He didn't know what to expect. The same thought kept circling in his head. _I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm not ready._ He was fit to duel with Iida's sword in his sheath. The knight had given it to him. It didn't comfort Shoto though. It caused him stress to know that a piece of his friend would be next to him as he laid on his deathbed. The knight placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Shoto." he exhaled to create a cloud in the frigid air. "Are you ready?"

Voices were coming from inside the arena, where crowds of people had already gathered. Shoto heard voices coming also from behind him where people, about a mile away, were gathered to find the outcome of the duels. He also heard voices that were closer and turned around. King Maero, Queen Michiko, Princess Maemi, and Princess Momo were walking to the entrance of the high stand. He spotted Princess Momo. She wore armor unlike the strange metal bikini she wore the other day. Her top armor was still relatively exposing, but her bottom armor contained metal that covered her legs fully. She had metal gauntlets on that would have shined if not for the dark clouds in the sky. On her head was a metal headpiece with a red jewel in its center and a red cape covered her back. Guards surrounded the royals, each carrying a torch in the darkness of the morning.

"Yes." he lied.

"Good luck," Iida hesitated. "My prince."

"Thank you, Tenya." Shoto stared at the gate's doors.

The knight pulled him into a quick hug. He squeezed the prince and slowly let him go. His hands went to Shoto's shoulders as he looked him in the eyes. "Win."

* * *

Momo walked up the steps into the high stand. When she emerged, the crowds began to erupt into noise. Not a single seat in the stands was empty. They were all looking to her. Their princess who was looking for someone suitable to rule alongside her. Little did they know that it had always been predetermined. Princess Momo took a seat to her father's left with Maemi right next to her. She looked down at the empty cage. There were traces of red that stained the walls and the ground. The metallic stench hit her nose and made her posture falter. She knew that she would be smelling much more of it later.

"Momo, why are you wearing your ceremonial armor?" Maemi tugged on her sister's cape.

The little girl was wearing a blue dress fit for a true lady. However, her legs were uncrossed and her back was slumped without a care.

"Today's like a ceremony, isn't it?"

"More like an execution." she pointed out.

"Well, we wouldn't want to tell the people that." the princess patted her head.

* * *

The gates began to lift open. Iida had left Shoto. He was alone as he was presented to the Yaoyorozu people. The caged arena was so vast and it absolutely terrified the prince. Shoto saw him. The man with a tattered red scarf and scars all over his body. A strangely shaped sword and many other bladed weapons were stocked on his person. Stain was his name and he was there to play the game. Shoto knew, without a doubt, that he had to win.

Two men met in the middle. One who was a completely mystery that no one knew much of. One who stood center stage and was known by all. Two different men of different ideals and backgrounds. Shoto met his eyes. They were a pure white that was so unnatural. The prince held a hand out to him. The man looked down at it and shook it. He looked straight back into Shoto's eyes.

"The wind is howling through the mountains, Prince Shoto."

Shoto's eyes widened. Stain let go of his hand and began walking back to the other side of the arena to being the duel. _He knows._ The prince knew he should have said something. He should have yelled to the man and demanded him answers to why he knew that code. That single sentence that held so much meaning and weight to the prince. He didn't though. He turned and walked towards the other side of arena without a second glance. _Stain knows._ The prince didn't know if he could see the man as an ally or enemy. Shoto gathered all his self control to keep himself still. _I have to win this._

Momo killed all thoughts of nervousness and doubt. She slaughtered them all in her head and all that remained with a single command. _Win._ Her hands were violently shaking. Her whole body trembled as she watched the two men reach the opposite sides of the arena. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of it. She made a decision last night of who she wanted. She may never get the option to choose him if she died though. The princess shook her head as the two men turned toward each other. Her father was standing with a raised hand.

"Begin!" his hand came down.

The Stain man came racing towards Shoto. There was the same stench of blood that Bakugo had described filling Shoto's nostrils. It made his stomach unsettle. _He's only good in close range._ The prince slammed his right foot toward him. A violent and uncontrolled iceberg erupted toward the man. Shoto was expecting him to be encased, immobile, but Stain had taken Shoto's moments of hesitation and jumped high up into the air by boosting off of the ice. Knives were in his hands as he spun through the air. Stain closed the distance between them, throwing a knife towards the prince that scratch his cheek. Shoto used his left side to warm his trembling body and with a flick of his right wrist, ice erupted once again in the direction of the man.

Stain appeared in between the two ice structures in a small open area. The crowds were gasping, screaming, and absolutely _terrified_ of the field. The dark sky above kept threatening snow. _He's fast!_ Stain jumped straight towards the prince. His long tongue extending forward toward his cheek. Shoto quickly grabbed his tongue and allowed his right hand to begin freezing it. In that moment, the prince remembered a moment like this. One where desperation clung to him without a second thought. He didn't notice Stain's blade coming straight towards his left shoulder until he felt the metal sinking into his flesh. The crowd's noises were drowned out by the own beating of his heart.

Shoto released his tongue and let out another eruption of ice from his right leg. This one was smaller though. He slapped his right hand over his left shoulder to freeze over the wound. The man's tongue had darted straight toward his cheek, but wasn't even able to make contact. Blood was beginning to drip from it as Shoto was backed into a corner of the area with his ice surrounding him. He didn't know where the Stain man was, but the duel wasn't over yet. He had two options. Keep the field covered with ice and allow the Stain man to bring in a sneak attack or clear the field with his flames then try to immobilized him once he's able to see Stain. Shoto stretched out his left hand. _If I use my left side, more of my skin will be exposed…_ Shoto didn't know how the man's powers worked yet. Stain made desperate strokes for the prince's blood, which could only tell him one thing. _Don't let the man lick my blood._

The prince's left side flared to life. He swept his left hand across the field as it erupted into flames. The heat caused the crowds of people to being screaming. Shoto could feel the left part of his shirt burning off. A burst of red flame from his left side heated the whole arena. Ice began to rapidly melt. Water evaporated just as quickly. The Stain man appeared as the ice melted and bolted straight toward Shoto. Knives began flying toward him in all different shapes and sizes. He quickly flicked his right wrist and formed a wall of ice to block them.

Stain rushed toward the prince with his tongue flying, but in an instant darkness began forming behind the man. A portal of black that made Shoto's mouth gap open and his eyes unfocus on the man coming straight towards him with the intent to kill. A hand shot out from behind Stain and grasped him by the throat. The whole arena gasped and gaped along with the prince. Sten's sword dropped to the ground as his hands went to the hand around his throat. The pale skin of the hand was oddly familiar to Shoto along with its bulging blue veins. Blood drained from the prince's face when one that was precisely familiar appeared from the darkness. The two blue eyes that matched the same shade of blue as Shoto's. The staples on the areas where the burnt and damaged skin met the smooth and untouched. _He's free._

* * *

" _Akane, Akane!"_

 _A little boy with mismatched eyes and hair ran into a large room. A grin was on his face from some strange excitement. The room was bright from the midday sun. At a desk sat a boy who was slightly older. His hair was a dull red and eyes matched the one of the little boy's right. Books littered his desk and bits of split ink from an uncontrolled quill made its way to view._

 _The little boy held a small bow in his hands. A quiver was slung around his shoulder with arrows ready to be shot. The older boy shut one of the books in front of him. Its corners were charred and it was almost falling apart from how weakly it was binded together. He turned to the little boy, who began tugging on his shirt sleeve._

" _What is it, Shoto?" his voice was like a mix of ice and fire. There was annoyance and frustration in it that made the little boy quiver with a step back._

" _Y-You said you would help me practice archery today. I'm sorry if I bothered you. Were you reading?" he pointed to the broken down book._

" _Yes…" the older boy picked up the book. He walked to his bed and slipped it underneath the frame. "It's alright, Shoto. Let's go practice archery."_

" _Okay!"_

 _The large room was dark that evening. Little Shoto opened the door and looked around. His brother had practiced archery with him for only a short while before having to talk with their father about something. The little prince closed the door behind him and took another look around the room._

" _Akane?"_

 _The older prince was nowhere to be found. Shoto sighed and kicked the carpeted ground underneath his feet. His mouth was in a firm pout from not being able to spend more time with his brother. He admired the older boy and wanted to learn more from him. The little prince eyed the edge of a book underneath his brother's bed. He placed a finger over his lip and furrowed his brows looking at the book. Shoto shook his head and leaned down to grab the book. Ashes from its charred edges were left on the ground. The little prince took a seat on the floor and opened it the bookmark._

 _On the bookmarked page was an image of a person. They weren't like anyone he had seen before though. Scales ran up and down their legs with sharp canine teeth in their mouth. There were images of the person's body parts alongside a full body image. Descriptions were written in the truest detail._

" _Woah."_

 _Shoto flipped the page. The next one had the image of a multiple dragons on it. They were all colored different and built different. Some were taller than others while some had larger wings. The word "Hong" was written on the top of the page. The little boy traced his fingers along the drawings. They were vibrant and lively._

 _He flipped another page and came upon one with the word "Izuku" on the top of it. Before he could even glimpse below the word, the door to Akane's room opened. He looked up to find his older brother there. The older boy's eyes was soft towards him, but then immediately widened once he saw the book in his lap._

" _Shoto, what are you doing?" he snatched the book from him. His arms went around the book as he held it close to his chest._

" _I-I wanted to see what you were doing, Akane."_

" _What did you see?" the older prince threw the book onto his bed. He grabbed Shoto's shoulders and lifted him off of the ground. "Tell me, now."_

" _Why?" Shoto looked up at his brother. He was shaking slightly under the pressure of his brother's hands on his shoulders. They were squeezing so tightly that if they released an explosion from the pressure would appear._

" _Promise me that you'll never speak of the things you saw." his brother's grip loosened._

" _Is it bad that I looked at your book? Is it bad things?" Shoto asked._

" _Promise me, Shoto."_

" _What was the things you looked at, Akane? There were people in it pe-"_

" _PROMISE ME!" his grip increased dramatically. Akane's nails were digging into the cloth of Shoto's shirt._

" _I-I promise." he whispered._

 _The older prince released his brother's shoulders. "Good."_

"See you soon," his brother's eyes bore straight into his soul. "Shoto."

* * *

Momo saw it all. The prince's bleeding shoulder and cut cheek with Stain coming straight at him. The dark portal appearing and Stain slowly seeping back into it. Fighting instincts took over her as a bow was pulled from her stomach with an arrow. She aimed. Stain was sinking into the portal with a hand over his throat. She was far as ever from the fighting area below from her being in the high stands. _I can't miss._ The arrow flew from her hand. Spiraling through the air, it hit its target. The hand, now with an arrow in it, didn't let up though. It yanked Stain into the portal and in the blink of an eye, the portal was gone. An eruption of screams and yelling came from the stands. The people were confused with furrowed eyebrows and scared from the strange portal appearing and taking one of their contenders for the princess' hand.

"Prince Shoto wins the duel! We will proceed with the final duel against Princess Momo!" her father's voice boomed throughout the arena. Cries of protest broke out.

"Mareo, what are you saying?! Someone just dis-"

"Michiko, we have to keep moving on." the knight turned to one of the guards. "You. Go tell Sir Yamada of what has happened. Secure the arena."

"Yes sir!" the guard ran out of the high stand area.

The eldest princess stood looking down into the cage. Prince Shoto was on his knees. She couldn't see his expression from the high stand area, but she had a feeling he was more than a little disturbed.

"Momo, your duel will begin. Go." the king ordered.

She curtly bowed to him then began exiting the high stand. That was before she heard the thud of someone's body onto the ground. Momo turned to find her sister, caught in another vision. Her body was shaking, trembling, like she was almost possessed. King Mareo was quickly at his daughter's side, picking her up and holding her in his arms as she shook. _Not now. Why did it have to come now?_ Mareo met Momo's eyes as he held Maemi.

Her father, always so collected and kind, was a pillar of reassurance. Doubts were washed away by him with a controlled hand and a soft smile. A king who, no matter the difficulties, never pressed for war with other countries like the kings before him. Blood did not run down his body or cover his weapons. He advocated for peace, no he _pressed_ for it. Her father, who would do anything for peace, was willing to sell away his eldest daughter for it. A weapon he had created to someday defeat the Todoroki Kingdom was going straight into their heart.

Momo entered the arena area. The smell of blood surrounded her. Prince Shoto was still on his knees as she walked towards him. The crowd was yelling, not cheering anymore, with questions and threats. The princess stopped in front of the prince. His head was down, looking to the ground underneath him. Bruises appeared all over his body and the cut on his cheek was surprisingly bleeding a lot. Princess Momo kneeled down to him. Her hand went under his chin to guide his eyes to her's. She lifted his head up. The mismatched eyes of a man she didn't even know bore into her soul.

The dark sky overhead, that had been threatening snow for so long, finally pursued its threat. Small, white specks began falling from the sky. They touched onto the ground lightly and quietly. The first snowfall of the Yaoyorozu Islands left the arena's crowd speechless. Momo's eyes didn't leave the prince's as a flake of snow fell between them.

* * *

Shoto watched the snowflakes fall. The Todoroki Kingdom would never get snow so early in the year. It would get colder, but many wouldn't be able to even feel it. The Yaoyorozu Kingdom's snow was so different. The prince put his right hand over the princess'. _Her gaze is so…..intense…_ He was the first to break eye contact and looked beyond her. There was a soft layer of snow beginning to form on the bottom of the arena. The smell of blood was so pungent when he first entered the arena. It would soon be overtaken by the fresh snow.

Something strange caught Shoto's eye. A sliver of darkness on the other side of the arena stood out among the falling snow. He saw something monstrous emerge from the darkness. _It's them._ His instincts took over as his left arm pulled the princess forward and his right hand went out to create an iceberg towards the darkness. The familiar chill when he was around the princess ran down his spine. Everything froze.

* * *

A/N: I edited this chapter and honestly, not as hype as I expected, but still kinda okay? We never got to Shoto and Momo's fight and wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll we'll get to it later, sorry for the false hype.

Next chapter: Momo is the warrior princess we've been wanting.

So, thoughts? Are you frustrated that no duel really ended this chapter? What's the monstrous thing Shoto saw? How is the Shoto/Dabi backstory going for you?

This is one of the longest chapter's I've written, which is surprising because there's a lot of setup and no actual execution of anything? Hopefully things are gonna be okay next time. I actually cut out like 1/3 of the chapter because it got wayyyyy too long, so get excited to see that next chapter?

As always, thank you for reading and see your next Saturday! (hopefully, sorry this chapter was late, i fell asleep from eating too many churros)


	9. Win Her Favor - Extras I

A/N: No new chapter this week! So here's some cut scenes and author's notes.

* * *

 **Cut Scene #1 (Non canonical to story)**

The two shut the door and left Momo with her sister and the prince. He had been sitting quietly on a box next to Maemi and watching everything carefully. He blinked towards the door.

"Your friends, princess?" the prince looked to Momo.

"Yes. I've been friends with Bakugo and Jirou since childhood. They matter very much to me." she looked to the door fondly.

"Hmph. The future doesn't need me here." Maemi stood up and dusted herself off.

"You just got here, Maemi. Where are you going now?"

"It's a secret." she shut the door on her way out.

Momo frowned at her sister. That girl gets herself into too much trouble. She turned her head to face the prince. He was looking at her, seeming to scan her whole body. Although, it wasn't like he hadn't already. She knew that he had taken her armor off when she entered the water. It was a necessity from how heavy her armor was. I'm going to miss that armor set. She took another bite of the bread.

The single window of her room was closed. She had the room in the tower outside of the castle and one within the castle. She much preferred the room of the tower. It was spacious and allowed her feel a bit less closed in. It was a place of freedom before she would have to face the trials before her. Her eye caught the prince's again. The shade of gray and blue compliment each other beautifully. She stared, maybe too long, and looked away to the closed window. Small wooden swing doors kept it closed from the cold air outside.

"Would you like me to open it?"

Momo caught a glimpse of his collarbone. She hadn't notice when she was in the water earlier, but a small scar was there. It was a scratch. Possibly one that didn't heal too well. The prince noticed her quiet and turned to her.

"Princess Momo?"

His elegant features made him seem more like a woman than a man. If it wasn't for his broad shoulders and prominent muscles, Momo could have mistaken him as one. His long eyelashes and hair suited him well. The slightly point of his mouth when he spoke intrigued her, but then she snapped out of whatever daze she was in from his questions. The princess shook her head and blinked her eyes.

"You would like me to not open the window?" he gestured towards it.

"No, no-Wait yes! Wait, no. I mean-" she took a quick breath to compose herself. "It's much too cold to open it at this time of year."

"Ah, alright."

Prince Shoto noticed it all. The small curve of her lips and the way her face scrunched up when she was flustered. Her hair, messy from the water of the sea, but all the more beautiful in the way it was down. He let his eyes trail over her body, maybe for too long, but caught himself and looked away towards the closed window again.

"My apologies." he began.

"What for?" the curious tone in her voice provided a hint of innocence.

"I've never introduced myself formally to you, princess." the prince stood up and walked towards her. He got down onto one knee then lifted her right hand to kiss it. "I am Crown Prince Shoto Todoroki. Holder of the half-hot and half-cold power and of Todoroki blood. In all my honor, I request of your hand in marriage." he accidentally let his voice turn a bit stoic and icy. Remembering why exactly he was at the islands in the first place from his father brought a tight strain in his chest.

"I am Crown Princess Momo Yaoyorozu. Wielder of all weapons and holder of Yaoyorozu blood. In all my honor, I must decline. Unless…" she raised his hand to kiss his as well. "You are to duel me for my hand."

That's when Shoto felt the chill again. The same cutting chill as when he was in the water. He was suddenly very aware of the cold season and the way the princess' warm hand held onto his. He pulled his hand away from her. She smirked at him. The slight tilt of her lips allured him. The balance of temperature came back upon his body and he blinked confusingly. This woman…

"I will." he quietly said, almost a whisper.

"You are quite charming, Prince Shoto." he lifted his head up at her words. "But you will have to duel the man by the name of Stain before you can duel me."

"Stain?"

"Yes. I know neither of this have ever said it aloud, but our marriage is already confirmed. Whether we like it or not." the princess stood up off the bed and walked to the closed window. "This Stain man, he is quite strong. His attacks are faster, stronger, and better than my own. It is your duty as my future husband to protect me from a duel with him." she opened the window. "Isn't that true?" she looked back at him, still kneeling on the ground.

"I…"

"I know neither of us want this. Neither of us want to marry. I, personally, want to find love on my own time. I want the freedom to roam first. To shoot arrows into the woods." she moved both of her legs out of the window. The princess sat on the window ledge, looking out at the forest in the distance.

Shoto saw her peel her shirt off. He looked away, but then noticed the piece of cloth covering her breasts and a bit of her back. He turned away more. The prince heard the brushing of wood against stone and spotted a bow emerging from the princess's side.

"To ride my horse with the wind blowing in my hair." She pulled an arrow from her arm and notched it into the bow. "To simply, be free."

The arrow released from the bow. Shoto saw it fly and then begin to fall. It went beyond the castle walls, somewhere far, far away. He looked to the princess. The dark, cloudy sky outside did a shame to her. There wasn't light to show her beauty, her serene. The prince felt his left side involuntarily flare up and he choked. The princess turned around to him, the bow in her hand. She smiled at him, making his left side flare up again.

"What do you want, Prince Shoto?"

"I want?" he asked.

"Yes. What do you want?" she repeated.

What do I want? There was a lot of things Shoto wanted. He wanted the princess to put her shirt back on. He wanted to not have to marry. He wanted to have more time to read. He wanted his mother to still be happy from when he was young. He wanted to not have learned that his father had massacred people. He wanted to not be crown prince. He wanted his eldest brother to still be sane. He wanted someone to confide in. He wanted to choose his destiny. He wanted to be better than his father. He wanted to ride his horse and feel the wind through his hair. No, Shoto did know what he wanted. What he wanted more than anything, but he couldn't say that to her, so he went with the next best thing.

"I want you to put your shirt back on." he felt the heat rising to his cheeks and desperately tried using his right side to cool himself down.

"Really? That's what you want?"

"At the moment, yes."

"The Todoroki Kingdom and Yaoyorozu Kingdom must be vastly different then. I was thinking the shirt was a bit excessive for the weather." the princess moved her feet to place them on the floor again. She picked up the shirt and put it back on. "You're a true gentleman, Prince Shoto. Even Bakugo sometimes takes opportunities to stare." the princess sighed and placed the bow onto her bed.

"If a man were to stare, it'd show that he's weak." Shoto said and sat back down onto the wooden box.

"Then many men must be weak. Are you like that?" the princess opened a drawer on her bedside table and pulled out a hair tie.

"Admittedly, every man is like that." he ran a hand through his hair.

"You don't seem the type." she pulled her hair into a spiky ponytail.

"You shouldn't trust any man, princess. You never know what he's truly like."

The door to the room opened. There stood Iida, visibly stiff and openly tired looking.

"Prince Shoto! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Why did you not inform me that you were to visit Princess Momo?"

"I didn't exactly know that I would be here either, Iida." Shoto sighed at the knight's coarseness.

"Princess Momo! I have not formally introduce myself, but allow me to!" he bowed. "I am Sir Iida Tenya. Personal royal guard to Prince Shoto Todoroki himself."

"A pleasure to meet you, Tenya." she smiled.

"Likewise, your highness!" he stood straight and grabbed Shoto's arm. "I must be taking Shoto here now. We have important matters to tend to!"

"Iida, calm down. I'm getting there." Shoto brushed his arm off.

"Come quickly!" he walked out the door and off he went.

"Goodbye, Princess Momo. I hope the next time we meet, it won't be in the coliseum just quite yet." he bowed quickly to her.

"I do as well. Now go before one of the maids yell at your knight's brashness!" she shooed him out the door.

* * *

 **Cut Flashback Scene**

"Momo, get down from there this instant!"

The young princess, at the age of nine, was swinging her legs back and forth. She was sat on a high window ledge in the royal hall with a mischievous grin down towards her mother. Her hair was in its usual spiky ponytail, though a bit more messy with untidy and pulled hairs.

"But mother, there's so much to see from up here!" the princess glanced out of the window towards the town.

Life was bustling in the town during summer. Cool air graced her face, blowing gently through the island. She sighed, pressing a hand onto the stones of the open window.

"My daughter will not be so unladylike!"

* * *

 **Author's/Story Notes**

-Win Her Favor began as a oneshot with the fight scene as the main idea. However, as I wrote it turned into something so much more. Wanting to explore the theme of imperialism, as someone one described it to me, and a complex romance was something greatly desired when writing this fanfiction. Momo and Shoto aren't meant to automatically fall in love.

-Win Her Favor is estimated to be around 40ish chapters with the current planning. We're currently in the first arc of the story that I fondly call the duel arc. There will be a small 2 chapter mini arc and then an around 15 chapter arc that we will spend in the Todoroki Kingdom. The final arc of the story is too spoilerish for where we are now, so I won't say exactly what it's about yet.

-When writing Win Her Favor, I listen to lots of instrumental mixes. Ambiance is key.

-Win Her Favor is currently planned to have a sequel focusing on Kamijirou and a prequel focused on Kiribaku. The sequel will focus on a modern hero era, much like the actual show so it will be most likely a canon divergence fic. The prequel will delve into the time of more like pre-medieval japan during the time Genghis Khan conquered most of Asia.

-There's a lot of characters in the tags that haven't been introduced yet, but I hope you're excited because mostly everyone will be introduced during the 15ish chapter arc. The final arc is supposed to just be end game. Yes, there will be dragons and other creatures. Mermaids, anyone?

Feel free to ask any questions you want in the comments below or to give kudos. Next week there will be a chapter in full swing. Will Momo and Shoto ever get to their battle? Will we talk to Jirou? Will Maemi ever tell Momo the truth about her future husband? Find out next Saturday!

* * *

Cover art by azureflamearts on Tumblr

Link to original art: post/167302883175/kamijirou-todomomo-fantasy-au-please-dont


	10. Realization

The crowds of people in the stands began yelling.

"What are you doing?!" the princess met his eyes with her mouth open in shock.

"We need to get out of here!" he pushed her off of him and stood up, wobbling onto his right side.

More dark portals began appearing in the arena area. There were screams from the crowds above. Shoto looked up to find monsters appearing in the stands.

"EVERYONE EVACUATE!" the king ordered from the high stand.

"What are these creatures?!" the princess pulled out a claymore from her stomach. Her teeth were gritted.

"They're Nomus. Don't let them near you!" Shoto stumbled over himself.

The monsters walked out of portals, surrounding the two. There were seven in total. Each had their own gruesome look with soulless eyes that didn't seem to focus on anything in particular. They were all high in stature with their brains exposed to the air. Shoto let out a blast of fire towards one. Its left arm began burning, but it kept walking forward like nothing had happened. _What is the meaning of this?_ The cage chain link covering above them worried the prince. _We can't escape._

"Prince Shoto, you know what these creatures are, so what's the plan?" she held the claymore across her shoulders.

 _Shit, only one option._ "I need you to get up into the air so I can freeze them all down. We'll make our way towards the gates and escape. I'll-"

"No." she said.

"No?" he looked to the princess. Her eyes were locked onto the monsters in front of them.

"If we destroy the gate in any way then these creatures will get out into the rest of the island. I won't allow that." the Nomus were moving closer towards them.

"You're suggesting…"

"You can still use your powers, right?" Princess Momo looked back at him. "So, don't worry about me. Turn these monsters into ash and I'll do the same."

* * *

Momo's whole body was trembling. The monsters, or Nomus as Prince Shoto called them, were so _strange_. They didn't seem to be a complete monster with the qualities of a human somehow appearing through their features. Their slow movements were as if they were trying to give them a chance, stalking towards the two in unison. The princess looked back towards the prince. He was wounded and fatigued from his duel with Stain. No matter how hard he tried, she could see his eyes go out of focus and his body slump over.

Her grip tightened onto the handle of the claymore. She began walking forward to the Nomus. They kept moving onward, as if she didn't exist.

* * *

Shoto watched as the princess moved forward. _What is she doing?_ Princess Momo Yaoyorozu, as said by many, was never what she seemed. She bolted straight for them. His heart stopped beating as her body twisted upward and the claymore in her hand swung through the air. It seemed like it was weightless as it came around into contact with the Nomu's neck. The claymore sliced through the skin and bone, cutting the creature's head clean off. His eyes widened and mouth fell open. _Holy shi_ -

Another Nomu nearby her, tall and stocky, grabbed onto the princess's arm. It threw her onto the ground with the snap of breaking bones sounding throughout her. Everything around Shoto melted away as his focus went onto her. Princess Momo's body was destroyed. He saw the impact her body made on the earth. _No one could survive that amount of..._

He ran. His right hand glided along the dirt ground, creating ice that encased the Nomu's bodies around her. Though, they broke out of it. Their arms cracking through the ice to be free. His ice swept over their bodies again and again. Shoto stopped to grab at the princess, to somehow drag her away. A Nomu cracked out of their ice. It grabbed onto the half of Shoto's shirt that was unburnt and with ease threw him back. The skin on his back scrapped along the ground, causing irritation and small cuts to form. His head turned up. He watched as one of their fists began coming down to her body. _NO!_

* * *

The little prince's dual colored hair rustled in the warm wind. It was summer, and he was eight at the time with his body turned to look out the golden carriage window. He sighed as a hand was placed onto his head. Shoto addressed his sister. She gave him a gentle smile. Her eyes were as bright as the red dress she wore. Though, in Shoto's opinion, it did not match anything else about her except that. It was disgustingly made and probably done with little regard for the princess.

"Shoto, are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I-I'm fine, Fuyumi." he quickly turned away.

"Proper language, Shoto. Proper language." she scolded.

"Uh…" the little prince looked at the carriage's floor.

His sister gave a smile to him again, instead this one was more of understanding than anything else. "It's okay. Just make sure to keep your posture up." the princess brushed a hand through his hair.

"Okay." his voice was so small.

"We're going to be visiting the townspeople today, isn't that exciting, Shoto?"

"I don't know…"

"Aw, it's alright. Let's have fun today, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

The princess stood. Not stood, more like shot up in an instant. Her arms were above her, keeping the Nomu's fist at bay. Shoto heard clicking sounds. Her body was twisted and in different unhuman angles, but with each click there was a fix in her body. Blood was running down her face. The prince froze over everything again, allowing her to escape the Nomus surrounding her. She didn't take that option though. There was a final click to her body. He saw long metal stakes begin falling out from her stomach. She grabbed onto one and drove it straight through the Nomu in front of her's body, cracking the ice there. _She's okay..._

"Keep them at bay."

Her eyes were so much darker than what he remembered from before. The princess stabbed another stake into the frozen Nomu then another and another. The creatures started cracking through the ice, but Shoto wouldn't allow them to. He froze them over again and again until the princess shoved the last stake into the sixth Nomu around her. She stumbled out of the ring of Nomus towards him. Momo fell to the ground with her head turned up towards him. Sweat was dripping from her body and bruises were beginning to fade away.

"Fire."

* * *

Bakugou walked into the castle's kitchen. He was starting to get annoyed by his crutch and debating whether or not to ditch it. _Limping around would be better than this stupid thing._ The kitchen was empty except for Jirou. She was sat on the counter, a diary in hand and a quill flying away on the paper. Jirou was biting onto her thumb as she wrote and kept making strange faces that could rival Bakugo's. He stumbled over next to her and looked down at what she was writing. It was unreadable to him.

"Jirou, your handwriting is ugly."

"You can't just come in here and insult me, Bakugo. Try again." she poked his face with an ear jack.

"Jirou, your handwriting is _hideous_."

"That's not any better!" she shut the diary and slapped it onto the counter.

"You're so worried that it's leaving wrinkles on your face." he flicked her forehead with two fingers.

"Yeah and you are too." Jirou pointed at him and frowned.

"She's not gonna up and leave without saying goodbye, Jirou."

The milkmaid sighed, turning to lean back onto the kitchen counter. Bakugo watched her look up towards the propped open window high above. The cold was beginning to settle in, but the small snowflakes falling through the opened window reminded the two of something very important. Winter was coming. It would not be kind or easy on the islanders, but exciting events would come along.

"The first snow, huh?" Bakugo propped himself against the edge of the counter.

"The Snow Festival will begin soon." she had a small, wishful smile on her face. "We'll get to drink hot chocolate under the stars and sing songs in the town square."

"Hopefully that Todoroki sucker sticks around long enough so Momo's here for the beginning. She would hate missing out on the starting ceremony."  
"Yeah, hopefully."

"She might leave right after the duel if they're in a rush though. The prince has already been here for longer than he originally planned. He was supposed to just come and go, but he's been here for two days already."

Silence fell upon both of them. Jirou's arms covered her face, but Bakugo could see her lip quivering. He backed off and glanced towards the falling snow. _I should close that window soon._ The delicate flakes seemed to glow in the small amount of light sinking in from outside.

"I don't want to think about that."

"We might never see her again after today." he sighed without a usual scowl overtaking his face.

"I said that I do-"

"She was gonna go off and leave us eventually. It was destined to happ-"

Bakugo saw her hand coming up to slap him. He grasped onto her wrist.

"No it wasn't! She was meant to become our queen and make our country better! She was meant to be undefeatable in battle and untouchable by anyone! But that man," she tried twisting out of his grip to no success."that man came here and in the first moments of meeting her already saw her whole body. He saw her without her walls up or without...w-without the protections she always has. He came to take her away with no questions asked, but I want to ask those questions. I-I want! I want…" her hand stopped moving against his grip.

Bakugo released her hand as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. He ditched his crutch, allowing it to fall onto the ground. His arm went around the milkmaid to pull her into a stiff hug. He didn't lean in or give any sort of warmth, but it was the best he could muster up. _God, the things you do to us._

* * *

"You're mean!" the little girl with purple hair yelled.

"Well, you didn't exactly come here to be nice to me either. I'm working, get out, Jirou." the blonde boy scowled at her, holding a bucket of water.

The two were in the horse stables. Brushes, halters, saddles, ropes, and all sorts of horse care objects were organized there. Bakugo, a young boy at the age of 9, was trying to clean. Jirou, aged 8, was swinging her legs as she sat on a wooden crate nearby him. It was summertime in the Yaoyorozu Kingdom. Rain poured outside of the stables as the two conversed with each other. The little boy had dirt on his face and mud on his shirt, though he couldn't care much about it. The little girl's plain dress was a telling of her status in the world.

"Momo is busy training and I'm bored. The head maid shooed me out of the kitchen after I caught some of the herbs on fire." she sighed.

"Go be bored somewhere else. We can't do anything because it's raining." he placed the bucket onto the ground.

"We should go out into the forest. We could find something cool. Maybe a dragon." Jirou hopped off of the crate.

"Dragons don't exist, dummy."

"They do too!" she hopped up and down.

"Do not!"

"How do you know if they don't exist?" the little girl put her hands on her hips.

"Because no one's ever seen one before and all the people who do are crazy."

"That's not true. Sero said he saw one!"

"Well, Sero's an idiot. We can't trust him."

"I trust him."

"That's because you're an idiot too." he rolled his eyes.

"I am not!" she hopped towards him.

"Am too."

The little girl lost her footing and slipped on a patch of mud on the stable floor. Bakugo caught her arm. He pulled her up with a shake of his head. She stood still, watching as the boy shut the door of the stable and turned to her. The rain outside grew heavier, causing a stuffy feeling in the stables.

"Thanks." she said, brushing off the dirt from her dress sleeve.

"Ugh. Let's go." he groaned, finally giving in.

"Really?" Jirou turned her head to him. Bakugo was walking towards the rain outside.

"Yeah. I didn't want to stay dry all day anyway."

"Yay!"

"The rain feels so nice!"

"Literally only you and Momo like it. I don't know why you like all the water. It's disgusting."

"But it's beautiful, isn't it?!"

Bakugo looked up towards the sky. He had to admit that the raindrops on the tree leaves were pretty. It was dark and murky, but every little drop held a bit of light with it. He spotted Jirou opening her mouth to catch one. She smiled when she did. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"You don't know where that water's been."

"Yeah I do! It's been in the sky." Jirou pointed up.

"Maybe we should go back. We could get sick out here."

"Bakugo, come on! We al-"

He slapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a tree. Jirou struggled against his grip, but then followed his line of sight. A bit away from them was a figure. They could barely hear the figure's moans and groans. Bakugo's senses were sharper with himself always on edge. He lowered his hand from her mouth.

"Jirou, we're gonna sneak away from here. We need to avoid that person." he hissed.

"Okay." she didn't retaliate.

Bakugo grabbed onto her wrist. They turned to walk into the direction towards the castle. Jirou, the poor girl, was shaking. He tugged her slightly and they were on their way. Until they heard the groaning grow louder. Bakugo looked behind them and the sight he saw would be forever ingrained in his memory.

The figure turned out to be some sort of man. Bindings covered his body and left only his mouth open. With a single strange noise, his teeth became blades. They jutted out into the ground and the figure rose high into the air. Bakugo kept a slow pace with Jirou at his side. The rain was beginning to pour down harder and faster than before. _Snap!_ His head turned to the sound at his feet. He had stepped on a stick. _Oh fu-_

Blades sliced through the air, coming straight towards the two. Bakugo pulled Jirou in front of him. She barely got grazed with the sharp edge on her cheek. The groaning from the man grew even louder, if that was possible, and blades came in all directions. In those moments, Bakugo saw his short life flash before him. He held onto Jirou's wrist and knew of only one thing he could do. _We'll both heal from our Yaoyorozu blood._ He pushed her in front of him.

"Run, Jirou!"

"Bakugo?!"

Every blade came straight towards him. The first one that cut his flesh burned. The speed it came into his skin felt like a harsh slap that increasingly got worse and worse. Blades came to cut the skin at his shoulders and sliced tuffs of his hair off his head. The burning remained and didn't subside. _I'm not healing?_ _I-I'm not… I'M NOT HEALING! I'M GONNA DIE._

"MOVE!"

An arm came around his waist. It threw him to a nearby tree's trunk. The arm was strong, sure, and did not fail to reassure the stable boy. Bakugo felt the impact with the trunk against his whole body. When he opened his eyes, the sight he saw was sickening. King Mareo stood there. The king's arms were around Jirou as blades sunk into his back. A strong stench of blood sliced through the rain.

"Bakugo, take Jirou and run." King Mareo's voice was strained. Bakugo had never heard the king sound so weak before.

The cuts on his body still burned. He fought through the pain as he grabbed Jirou's arm and began running with her in tow. He took one last look at the king. His back was turned to the two. The cuts were already beginning to heal as a sword was pulled from his body. Bakugo felt his heart beating back and forth in his chest. It pounded and created a ringing in his ears that wouldn't go away. _I'm not a Yaoyorozu._

* * *

"Hey."

Bakugo's voice was strangely soft. It broke through Jirou's thoughts and touched her soul. He wasn't usually soft. Always tough and smug and hard when it came to things. Those moments he were, it only lasted briefly before his same scowl returned. Jirou wiped her tears with her dress sleeves. She sniffled as she looked up at him.

"What?"

"Do you wa-"

A woman's scream sounded from outside the castle's kitchen door. Bakugo's head sharply turned towards there. Someone began pounding on it, desperate for it to unlock. Jirou and Bakugo bolted. Jirou got there first with Bakugo hobbling behind her. She opened the door to one of the maids. Her face was red from running and her breath was quick.

"We have to run, th-th-there's strange things in the castle and they escaped! The guards are dead! There's blood. Blood, so mu-"

Jirou watched the woman's eyes roll upward. The light left her as her body fell forward onto the milkmaid. Jirou grasped her into her arms. The maid was so young, younger than Jirou. She looked at her back. A small throwing knife was between her shoulder blades. Blood began to run down from the wound.

"Jirou, get back!"

Bakugo's arm came to tug her back into the kitchen, but that wasn't before she could see it. A woman smiling at the end of the hall with blades in her hands. There were two twin buns on the sides of her heads and blood painting her face. Jirou felt everything drain from her when she spotted the thing behind the woman. It was the strange thing that the maid was trying to describe. Its eyes were blank, looking forward without purpose. Its large purple body was adorned with scars. It wasn't human. It was a monster.

* * *

Prince Shoto swept his left side's flames across the Nomus. The ice melted away, leaving their bodies exposed to the fire. They all began to burn without a care. Their bodies moved to the princess. She was on the ground with an arm outstretched towards him. The prince crawled forward towards her as the Nomus burned. The metal stakes that the princess has put into the Nomu bodies began to melt. The metal was unlike anything the prince had ever seen. It was shiny, almost like silver, but too perfected to be such.

He grabbed onto her arm, helping her to move further from the burning Nomus. They began to turn into ash. The strange metal melted, keeping their bodies in place. Once the last one was burnt to a crisp, he felt the wound on his left side. It was sufficiently cauterized. The princess stumbled as she began to stand. Shoto allowed her to use his shoulder to steady herself.

"There's one more thing to do." she rasped.

"What is it?" he had his arms out to catch her if need be.

Her hand went to grab the hilt of Iida's sword attached to his hip. She unsheathed it slightly as her body leaned onto his right shoulder. There was sweat dripped down her face and her breathing was heavy. Her eyes kept closing then jerked open from her forcing herself to stay conscious. Neither Shoto or the princess were in any condition to do anything else. The prince's left side was still throbbing from the wound and exhaustion was beginning to get the best of him.

"Our duel." the princess breathed out.

They stood there, so close after the words left her mouth. Her determination to execute an order was admirable, but also plain stupid. She let go of the sword. The princess took in a deep breath and allowed herself to stand tall in front of him. It was still snowing. The white flakes fell to coat the arena's floor with a light layer of itself. Shoto couldn't feel it anymore, but it was cold. Their breath made small clouds as they both exhaled. A single flake fell between them.

"Do you still wish to duel me for my hand?" the princess pulled a long sword from her stomach. "Will you accept, Prince Shoto?"

He hesitated. God, he _hesitated_. Shoto's right hand hovered over Iida's sword, but refused to move further. His left hand was uncontrollable as it rose to brush against the princess' cheek. _She's okay?_ She grabbed onto his hand with a slight tilt to her head. She blinked at him, curious.

"Prince Shoto?"

* * *

"You've recently become of age and I'm quite surprised that your father hasn't set you up with anyone."

"Good. Let's have it stay that way."

Prince Shoto stood in a royal courtyard with Iida at his side. A bow was in his hands with a quiver slung over his left shoulder. It was a warm summer's day. The sun beat down overhead onto the two. Shoto notched an arrow into the bow and aimed towards the target on the other side of the courtyard. He inhaled.

"He may be waiting for the Yaoyorozu princess to come of age. Their kingdom was never too keen on marriage proposals and it's known that they will accept offers for their daughter once she is of age."

Shoto exhaled, releasing the arrow towards the target. It hit slightly off of the center onto the white. He frowned and grabbed for another arrow.

"I don't want to marry a barbarian."

"They aren't barbarians, Shoto. They're just different."

"They're uncivilized people. It'd be insulting if my father ever suggested me to marry one." the prince notched another arrow and took aim.

"They're true warriors at heart and respectable people."

"They're ruthless and unhonorable killers, Iida."

"Just watch, Shoto. Someday you're going to meet a Yaoyorozu who's going to prove you wrong."

"I doubt such."

* * *

 _Iida was right_. Shoto's hand was barely touching the princess', but her skin was so soft. There wasn't a single scar on her body and blemishes couldn't be found. Her eyes were bright with long eyelashes that would flutter whenever she was fazed. Her lips were chapped from a whole life without care but he could spot the lushness of them. The princess stood tall, even after having every bone in her body broken. Dirt and blood was running down her face, but she was so effortlessly perfect. Shoto could have died right there and he wouldn't have had single regret in his life.

He was so _confused_. He had always been taught that the Yaoyorozu people were monsters compared to the Todoroki, but they were all the same. Maybe even better than his people. They were so strong and unfazed whenever it came to injury while he stood there. He stood there with a cauterized wound and bruises covering his body. His right eye was slightly closed from the throbbing cut on his cheek. He looked pathetic next to her.

"Prince Shoto, do you accept?"

* * *

Shoto, age 19, stood with his arms out as a blonde man fussed over the buttons on his dress shirt. The man had the strangest twinkle in his eye and was about ten years older than Shoto. He had a measuring tape around his neck with shirt sleeves that were rolled up. The room they were in was covered from floor to ceiling with sketches. Spools of thread and rolls of fabric were neatly organized on tables and on shelves. The prince sighed. He had spent the past two hours in that room already. It was midday.

"Aoyama, you are my tailor and I appreciate your dedication, but are you done yet?"

"Tsk! There, right there! That is the reason why the nobles find you so delusional and irresponsible. Be patient, my prince." Aoyama waved a finger at him.

"You sound like Fuyumi." Shoto frowned.

"Of course I do! Princess Fuyumi and I find your lack of proper language absolutely diabolical. You came of age last year and not a single kingdom offered their princess' hand for marriage. You know why they didn't, my prince. You may be a gentleman in every right, but your lack of proper language and mannerisms disgusts any woman within five meters of you." the tailor scolded as he turned to grab something from a desk.

"I'm not interested in marriage right now. I feel like my life has just begun."

"Well, you should be if you ever wish to be king, my prince. Marriage is not to be out of love unless you are one of the common folk like me. Your marriage will be one for status. There will be a trade of wealth and the insurance for an heir. Your thinking is quite surface level and you must think beyond such." he snatched a scissor and made his way back over to the prince.

"Why can't Natsuo be king instead? He exists."

"You know the answer to that. By god, do not make me say it aloud. You are testing me, Prince Shoto!" Aoyama waved his scissors in the air.

"I don't want to be married. Marriage sounds horrible, especially seeing what it did to my parents." he lowered his arms and ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't you forget that I was once married, my prince? Not all marriages were as horrible as the king and queen's."

"But your marriage wasn't really a marriage. It was a partnership with someone that you loved."

"It was a marriage. We didn't have the papers or the priest, but in every other way it was."

"You're not very convincing, Aoyama."

"My god, Shoto! Watch, someday you will meet some person who has all the stars in their eyes and holds all the planets in their hands. They will mystify you, confuse you, and you will be so awestruck that you won't know what to do with yourself."

* * *

Many people in Shoto's life had always been right. If only he listened more when they scolded or when they praised him, he would probably have been prepared for that moment. That moment when Princess Momo held out her hand to him. He met her eyes. _Aoyama was right._ All the stars were there, perfectly imperfect as they aligned together. Her hand was empty, but it was so inviting. Shoto didn't know what to do with himself.

"Prince Shoto?"

He placed his hand onto her own.

* * *

"Kaminari, how do you know if you love someone?"

Prince Shoto, age 20, lied on the grass. It was summer in the Todoroki Kingdom and the trees were lush with their green leaves overhead. Denki Kaminari, a violinist who regularly went to the Todoroki Palace, stood next to the prince with a violin in hand. The two were in the royal gardens. It was a small area with all types of flowers and herbs in soil boxes. The prince lied with his eyes closed. The sun touched his skin lightly as the violinist sighed.

"How would I know? I've never been in love, Prince Shoto."

"But you've gone out of these castle walls more than me. You've met more people. I've never been able to do that." he sighed.

"Well, from what my parents say and people who I know have been in love say, you know you're in love with someone when it happens. In that moment, you'll just know."

"That doesn't make sense. How do you know something that you already don't know?"

"I'm not sure, my prince." Kaminari raised his bow to the strings of his violin. He let it glide to begin the song. "My mother always said that we all eventually find the one we're meant to be with. Sometimes it may be a friend or a lover, even an animal in some cases, but we always find them."

* * *

"I accept your offer."

* * *

A/N:Whoop. This chapter took a while to write then to edit, then to add some more, then to cut, then to edit again. It's been a long two weeks, but I hope you guys are able to enjoyed this chapter. It has plenty of flashbacks to the characters' pasts and some set up for cool fights. It's been a long process of being happy then unhappy with this chapter. I had most of it done by Wednesday, but then I decided to go back and add stuff.

I hope you guys enjoyed the extra long chapter because you deserve it. I got a couple people who commented about waiting for this chapter last week and I feel bad about that. You're all wonderfully dedicated readers and I appreciate that. Thank you very much.

So, this chapter. Lots of stuff going on and new things being introduced. Ask all the questions you want to honestly. Bakugo was revealed to not be a Yaoyorozu. I kind of wanted to hold back on that card until the end game, but it's best that you guys are able to get confirmation on it because you already know he didn't heal from his wounds.

Thank you, as always for reading this chapter of Win Her Favor! Come back next Saturday for a new chapter. Also, we gots set up for the wedding arccccc


	11. Deal

The princess took a step back from him, holding her sword up. Snow kept falling onto her skin and causing goosebumps to form. Momo ignored the cold to focus on the man in front of her. He looked a bit delusional from the way his eyes met her own. They were distracted as if the prince couldn't find her. He unsheathed his own sword. It had excellent craftsmanship etched into every inch of it, but there was a slight tilt to it. An intentional tilt that made it off balance. She cast her eyes onto the man for one last moment.

Prince Shoto Todoroki, a royal with the blood of a dishonorable king and absent queen, stood before her. She had to let him win in that duel, but how he won was something she would decide on her own. There were no more people in the stands. All had left from the so called Nomus earlier, so the princess had free reign of her future.

The prince was different from what she imagined. She expected someone to be more like a claymore. Someone who was rough, destructive, and almost impossible to control. However, Prince Shoto wasn't like that at all. He was someone of elegance, prestige, and with an unpredictable strategy. Maybe it was his eyes or the way he held himself, but he felt so unreal to what Momo knew a man to be.

"Then let us begin."

* * *

"Mother! I don't want the dress, it's so uncomfortable!" she groaned, tugging at the braid her hair was in.

"Momo, don't you dare. The Snow Festival is beginning soon and you must be presentable. Goodness, I should have never let your father have free reigns on dressing you!"

The princess, age nine, was scowling in front of the mirror. Momo looked at herself. The dark blue dress on her body was a tight fit that suffocated every inch of her skin. She could barely move, let alone fight in the outfit. The princess could hide all the knives and weapons she wanted in the dress skirt, but she wouldn't ever be able to use them. The braid that her hair was in was pulled so tight that it made her head hurt. The queen's lady in waiting stood at the door, holding a pile of even more dresses to try on.

"Why can't I wear my ceremonial armor? It's basically the same thing as this dress!" Momo whined.

"Because you are a lady." the queen stated.

"But father said I'm a warrior!" the princess pulled an arrow from her shoulder to prove her point.

"Enough of this, Momo! You will wear that dress and that is final."

"Oh Michiko, you couldn't do that to her."

King Mareo walked through the door to his family. He held a helmet to his hip as his black fur cape swished with his movements. The king lifted his princess into the air. She giggled.

"Momo is a fierce warrior! She is the heart of this kingdom, my love Michiko!" he grinned towards the queen.

"Mareo, she cannot be like this. If another kingdom were to come to us with a betrothing request, they would be appalled by our daughter." she sighed.

"Then let them be! My daughter will fight against the seas and sky. She will fulfill everything great!"

"She's my daughter as well and if you want her to keep training with you, she better shape up in her tutoring lessons." the queen stood upon a stood and reached up towards the princess. King Mareo rolled his eyes playfully at the queen and handed Momo off to her. The queen placed Momo onto the ground and fumbled with her hair.

"Mother, I don't like the tutoring. Training with father is more fun!"

"Momo, you must work hard in tutoring as well as training. You are a princess and you must lead your people with pride!" her father placed an arm over the queen's shoulders. She rolled her eyes at her overconfident husband. "Isn't that right, my beautiful morning violet?"

"Mareo, you're sickening." the queen huffed.

"I don't know how holding a teacup a certain way is going to help me lead my people." she pouted.

"Oh, Momo. There's so much more to being a lady than the teacup holding. We discussed this before." the queen scolded.

"Michiko, let's let her wear the ceremonial armor, just this once." the king patted the top of Momo's head.

"Please!" she grasped Queen Michiko's hands.

"You two are too like-minded!" the queen frowned.

"The young princess should wear whatever she wishes. She is a princess, after all." a voice from the door rang true.

Momo turned her head to the man at the door. He had a scruffy beard and wispy blonde hair. It was such a pale color that she almost forgot it was there sometimes. He wore a knight's armor on his body. It was shined to perfection with the Yaoyorozu insignia on his shoulder. The man winked at the princess.

"Luther! I knew you would have my back on this!" Mareo hooked his arm around the knight's shoulders and swung him into a sort of half hug.

"Why must everyone be against me? I just want my daughter to look presentable." Queen Michiko groaned.

"Come on, mother! Please let me wear the ceremonial armor! I'll wear the dress another time." Momo tugged on your mother's hand.

"A good compromise, princess. You both taught her well." Luther smirked at the dirty look the queen gave him.

"Then promise me you will wear the dress next time, Momo?"

"I promise!"

* * *

Momo striked. Prince Shoto held his sword with his right hand and had his left side turned away from her. He blocked her blow from above, stumbling backwards. The snow fell delicately onto the two. She brushed a flake off of her cheek.

"On the defensive, aren't you?"

"It's the best option I have against you, isn't it?" he retaliated, keeping his distance from her.

"No. There's more you haven't discovered yet." the princess charged at him once again.

The prince readied his sword to block, but he was mistaken. Momo darted for his legs. In a split second, a wall of ice jutted from the ground in front of her face. She kept running straight for it. The princess threw her sword up over the wall. Her arms came up into the sky as she did a cartwheel, but before her legs could touch the ground, she propelled herself upward.

As she went over the wall, she grasped onto her sword's hilt and watched the prince. He exhaled, a cloud of his warm breath forming from his mouth. She was coming straight towards him. His left hand came out in front. The flames danced across his arm. Momo held her breath as she saw the falter in his body. He was growing weaker.

* * *

"Momo, my dear, come here."

"What is it mother?"

Momo, age 10, sat down next to Queen Michiko near the fireplace. It was winter. Cold was beginning to settle into the Yaoyorozu islands with plenty of snow that would not let up. The queen wrapped a furry blanket around the two. It enveloped them in warmth, comfort, and safety. The young princess raised a hand up to touch the queen's cheek. Her hand was so small back then.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Her dark eyes widened at the soft smile on Michiko's face. Michiko had freckles that dotted every inch of her cheeks and bright blue eyes that entranced anyone who looked into them. Momo inherited none of those things from her.

"No, nothing is wrong, my sweet child." Michiko grabbed onto her hand. "You're beginning to train with your father more and more each day and…"

"And what, mother?"

"I think it's time you know something about the Yaoyorozu people."

"Mother, I'm not a child anymore. I know we can heal and we don't die from injuries. People have survived drowning before!" the little girl chimed.

"I know, Momo, but like all the other races, we have weaknesses."

"We do?" Momo pouted.

"Yes, we do." Michiko tapped her nose.

"What are they, mother?"

"The two extremes of nature."

* * *

Momo landed onto the ground. She looked up to the prince, his flames dwindling. _Let's end this quickly._ She swung her sword at him, but he dodged back once again. His flames heightened in the matters of an instant and blasted towards her. Her eyes widened. _He was holding back!_

"You make too many assumptions." he growled.

She pulled a metal shield from her stomach to block the flames. They skyrocketed towards the sky and plummeted towards the ground. Her feet dug into the dirt to keep herself from being knocked back. Momo's body broke out into a sweat as the heat enveloped her. Her stomach was churning. She hadn't eaten much that morning and creating weapon after weapon was draining her. In addition with the Nomu attack, every bit of her felt exhausted.

"I've been doubting myself for all this time…" he began. The flames were intensifying with him walking towards her. She heard the clunk of metal onto the ground. _He dropped his sword_. "I thought that keeping you at a distance would work best, but I was mistaken. You're at a disadvantage against my powers."

The shield's metal began melting. Momo could see the hot blobs of iron drip onto the dirt beneath her. Her right leg was shaking as it came off the ground to the back of the shield.

"You seem to be forgetting about yourself, Prince Shoto."

Momo threw the shield at him and rolled to the right to avoid his flames. She felt the heat leave the area around her. The chill returned as her body lied on the ground. Snow still fell from the sky. It was oddly _calm_. She lifted herself onto her elbows to look behind her. The shield was on the ground, the metal still red from the heat. Her eyes trailed to the left, where Prince Shoto was beginning to stand. He had dodged out of the shield's direction without another scratch on his body. His extinguished flames left smoke floating off from his left side. A majority of his shirt was gone now, even on his icy right side. Her sword lied on the ground nearby him. She had flung it away when she rolled. His head turned to the princess lying on the ground.

"I never forget about myself, Princess Momo."

He exhaled a breath of warm air as he sheathed his own sword. His hand went down to pick up her sword. It looked almost too perfect in his hands. The dark hilt of it contrasted with his pale skin and the bright metal practically matched his white hair.

"Though, I think you may be forgetting about _yourself_." The prince tapped the sword's blade against his other hand, testing it in some sort of way.

The princess knew he was right. She couldn't lift herself up beyond her elbows and even _they_ were shaking. She had used more of her power than anticipated. Pulling out a bow, then a sword, then a sizable shield on a day where she chose to opt out of eating so much was a mistake on her part. Momo felt the prince's eyes on her as she struggled to rise. She plopped herself onto the ground with her knees close to her chest. The princess looked up towards the falling snow. She exhaled, creating another cloud.

"On the first day of snow in the Yaoyorozu Kingdom, we were always meant to rest." Momo sighed.

"On the first day of snow in the Todoroki Kingdom, we were always meant to work." the prince began walking towards her. He was slow, taking his time.

"You make your kingdom sound horrible."

"As long as my father is in power, then it is."

"So, you wish to take the crown by marrying me?" she chimed, giving a playful look up to him.

"I've never wished to take the crown nor did I come here with the intent of marrying you formally." he threw the sword down next to her feet.

"Then, why come here?" the princess nudged the sword away from her towards him once again.

"My father forced me here. You ask a lot of questions for someone who looked like they were about to kill me a few moments earlier." Prince Shoto frowned at her.

"I never wished to kill you. I only wished that you were a bit easier to take down so I can continue having the freedom I have." her hands and knees began to shake more.

The princess clenched her fists. She let her legs lower onto the ground. How vulnerable of a position she was in during those moments. Momo had overextended to a point where her body no longer agreed with her mind. She risked the possibility of death if she were to create another weapon. Her body wouldn't be able to handle it.

"You're shaking." he got down onto one knee next to her. His hand reached out. She pushed it away.

"You're being strangely kind to a woman you only met a few days ago."

"That's because I," he paused, taking a quick glance behind her to the dead Nomus." Have a proposal for you. Something that could benefit both of us in this situation."

"Go on."

"Marry me or," he hesitated. "let us marry to fulfill the obligations we have to our people. It does not have to be out of love or anything else of that matter. Once we are married, you may return to your home and stay there for the rest of your life. You would not have to see me again after our vows. We will be married in name only and that is it."

"The importance of marriage for royals is to have insurance on the crown. If you were to take the crown th-"

"I have already said that I have no intention of taking the crown, princess."

* * *

"Jirou!"

Bakugou's hand clutched her forearm. He yanked her out of the doorway. Her arms were wrapped around the woman's body as he slammed the door shut. Every inch of him was screaming with panic. He couldn't fight well right now. They needed to run and run quickly.

"Out the back door, let's go!" Bakugo pointed to a door leading to outside of the castle.

She started towards it with the woman's body in her arms. He stumbled after her and pulled the knife out of the woman's back. She sharply inhaled. _Thank god for these fucking Yaoyorozus._ The wound began closing up. He wrapped one of the woman's arms around his shoulders. The three went for the door. As Jirou's hand wrapped around the door knob, the other door was crashed in. Wooden pieces from it and dust flew into the air. Jirou turned the door knob. Bakugo immediately kicked it open.

The air outside was crisp cold. Snowflakes fell from the sky so softly that one could compare it to heaven. A courtyard that seemed lost in its own time. Bakugo felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. In the courtyard were two creatures like the one from the hall. They turned to face the three of them. All the blood drained from his face. He was unprepared to face the creatures. Jirou and the woman had healing powers, but he didn't. They were stuck, so stuck in between two major threats. His hands were sweating and teeth gritted together. _We have to fight_.

"Miss, can you walk now?" he turned to the maid in their arms.

"Y-Yes." she allowed herself to stand without their support.

"Good. Jirou, you okay?"

"As of right now, yeah." she scoffed.

"Remember that day in the rain?" Bakugo murmured, meeting her eyes.

"When King Mareo saved us?"

"Yeah."

"Bakugo, what are you suggesting?"

"We gotta be like King Mareo."

His hands sparked as he lifted it to the two opposing sides. Time seemed to slow when his hands ignited with their explosions towards the enemies. Jirou and the woman grasped onto each other. Their breaths created small clouds in the cold air. The creatures all stared blankly at him like dead men. The woman, someone who he could look at and only think of pain, had a frown. Life gives people many options. There's never one or two or even just three. There are many, so, so many in this world. If you could just take a moment and consider the _possibilities_.

* * *

"Are you surprised?"

The eldest prince crooked his head towards the messenger. Midoriya could only look toward the ground. In the time span of a few days, all he had seen were the lies and truths of the Todoroki family unfold before him. He knew that things weren't perfect for the royals from Shoto, but he never knew how extreme it went. His eyes trailed to glance at the queen.

She sat in a rocking chair with the blankest of stares. Her eyes focused on everything and nothing at the same time. Frost had a permanent home on her hands. Every now and again, she would begin muttering under her breath. He only ever caught the words, "Enji" and "Shoto".

In the courtyard, there had been creatures. Prince Dabi referred to them as Nomus, which confused Izuku since they seemed more like demons than anything else. A man who resembled the abyss created portal after portal and soon enough a man with a red scarf joined them. He argued with Prince Dabi for a few moments, before he want eventually thrown into another portal. Izuku didn't question where it went.

"Yes." was the only reply he could muster up.

"You're so young, Midoriya. There is still much you have to learn." the prince turned to the abyss man. "Kurogiri, I think it's time."

"Where to, my king?"

"I don't think he should see Shoto just yet. The castle, maybe?"

"As you wish."

A dark portal formed in front of Midoriya. It had the strangest of contents in it with swirling smoke and unfamiliar images appearing before him.

"Say hello to my brother for me."

He was pushed into the portal.

* * *

A green blur appeared from the direction of the hall. It had lightning surrounding it, making Bakugo's hair frizz up at the feeling. The blur dashed straight into the dark creature next to the woman. As time slowed, Bakugo saw what the blur truly was. A man, no much older or younger than himself, had his fist square into the creature's beak. It dislocated, flying off of the creature's front body and snapped to the side. The man was sure, firm, and someone Bakugo did not recognize at all.

* * *

A/N:It's been a struggle to write lately. I just want things to work out story wise and I feel like I have a TON to learn until I'm happy with my writing.

I'm really excited for this next story arc to begin. I just want to wrap things up with the duel and have the mini arc commence. I think you all will like it because it's a lot of fluff.

This story was meant to be one where I'm happy creating it and I am, but updates are going to be slower due to school starting back up and just me trying to figure out writing. I'm working on a lot of short stories right now. One's about Dabi and Toga, another's a multiship story. It'll be fun once they're out. Btw, I will be going back and editing past chapters. I'll update you all on the changes in next chapter's end notes.


	12. To the future

"Then why marry me? Why not go back to your kingdom and let me stay at my kingdom?"

"You already know the answer to that."

Princess Momo was looking towards the ground. The cuts and bruises upon her body had healed over, but the way her shoulders slumped over and hands clawed at the loose dirt of the arena ground were telling of her weakness. Her hair was messy with loose strands covering her face. However, even in those moments, Shoto still found her beautiful. Looking at her was like looking at a painting. The way the flakes of snow fell ever so gently onto her body as she sat there with the stillness of a statue intrigued him.

"Our countries cannot stay in agreement with each other. It's been like that for decades."

"Then, let's change that." he stood up, feeling the snow on his body shift off and fall onto the ground. "I don't care much for my own people. They're snotty, rude, and want to have the world in their hands, but I've met someone who says you love your people more than anything. They say you love your people and you do everything for your people. You fight in this arena to bring them joy with your victories. You often go into the towns to just _speak_ with people. And-"

Shoto stopped himself. _They were right about your beauty_. He clenched his fist, joining her in looking at the ground. _Captain Luther was right about a lot of things_. Suddenly, she snorted. His head jerked up to her. Then, she started _giggling_. An uncontrollable bit of joy that touched his heart. The prince covered his face sloppily with a hand and turned his head away from her. He felt heat rising to his cheeks. Shoto was a Todoroki, he wasn't supposed to feel heat, so why did he feel it now? _Why is she laughing?_

"You certainly know a lot about me." the princess had a small smile to her lips.

"Yes, I-"

"I'll marry you. I'll marry you for peace between our countries and for my people and nothing else." she cut him off with an abrupt answer.

"Just like that?" he stared at her, brow furrowed from the playfulness in her eyes.

"On one condition. You tell me something about yourself." Princess Momo tilted her head up at him.

"About me?"

"Yes, about you. You seem to know a lot about me, but for you I only know of the rumors. Tell me something about you, something that's truthful for once."

Her eyes were filled with so much wonder. Shoto mulled over her words in his head. _Something truthful_. He sat down in front of her and put a hand to his chin.

"What exactly do you want me to tell you?"

"Anything really. Just tell me about you."

"I'm Crown Prince Shoto Todoroki of the Tod-"

"No, not that!" she shook her head at him.

"Then what?"

"Tell me something like, like your favorite color!"

"I don't think I have a favorite color."

"There has to be at least one that you're fond of."

She blinked at him. Those long eyelashes batting captured all of his attention. _My favorite color…_ His eyes trailed to her hair, then to her eyes, then back to her eyelashes. _Maybe it's…_

"Black."

"Why do you like it?"

"It's pretty."

"Do you like pretty things?"

"I'd assume su-"

Shoto looked behind him towards the doors of the arena. They were opening, leaving a single figure in the center. A man in knight's armor stood there, a bloodied sword sinking into the ground. He leaned onto the sword with his chest heaving. The knight looked oddly familiar. His body swayed back and forth as if he was at sea. He heaved his sword up from the ground and began to walk closer to the two.

The prince heard Princess Momo stand up. His eyes darted to her. Her legs were wobbly and hands shaking, but she clenched her fists and looked towards the knight. He offered a hand to help secure herself. She smiled at his offer, but he kept standing on her own as the man approached them. Shoto had to stop himself from gasping. It was Captain Luther.

"Sir Luther?! You're back so soon? Father said you'd be gone well into summer, but now you're here."

"It's hard to stay away from my favorite princess, your highnesses. Though, I'd love to catch up, we must get going."

A man with the strangest twinkle in his eye stopped. He looked to Shoto. His graying hair was speckled with snowflakes. A knight's armor adorned his body as he smiled a cheeky and warm smile that reminded Shoto of someone. He ushered out a chuckle.

"You act like you've gone a seen a ghost, Prince Shoto. Not very observant, ey?"

"You're a _sir_?" he furrowed his brow quizzically.

"Quite the charmer, isn't he, princess?" Captain Luther chuckled again.

"Not much, but he'll do."

"Pardon, but if you're not a captain, then who exactly _are_ you?"

"I'm many things, your highness. I am a man. A knight. A brother. A son. But, for now, I am your announcer."

"For what, Sir Luther?" the princess tilted her head towards him.

"It's time you give your people the answer they've been searching for."

* * *

Shoto had never felt so unprepared in all his life. The princess and him walked out of the arena, trailing after the knight. He limped out through the doors and noise erupted, but when the two of them emerged, there was only silence from the crowds of people around them. Some had shovels in their hands while others held swords or had gauntlets on. They all watched the two, waiting for something. He should've said something. He didn't as Princess Momo's fingers intertwined with his and lifted their hands high into the air. Her could feel her twitch. When Shoto looked to her face, she had a bright smile there. _The facade she puts on for her people._ Their undefeatable princess had been defeated.

A little girl met Shoto's eyes. Two curious eyes that cut through his soul in search of something. Once she did, the little girl gave a smile to him. She curtsied. A woman next to her followed. Then, a man. Then, another woman. There was a wave of people bowing before the two royals. Shoto looked to the princess. Her eyes met his for only a second. He could see them beginning to dull as she looked away. Her voice was clear as day.

"YOUR VICTOR!"

* * *

Izuku felt the power surge into his legs. The monster wobbled back and forth with blood gushing from its face. He kicked it, sending the creature through the wall into the outside courtyard. His senses heightened and he looked to his left. A woman stood there, two buns on the sides of her head and a gigantic smile plastered on her face. She held a knife in her hand. He couldn't tell if it was red from the blood or if the metal itself was simply a red color.

"Ahhh!~ You're so cute!" she squealed "I'd love your blood!"

She dove straight for him, the knife grazing the skin of his cheek. Izuku moved to the side. His eyes barely registered the dark monster rising of the ground. An opening to the outside revealed two more, the snow beginning to pile up on them. The monster's fist came straight towards him. He couldn't dodge. He couldn't do anything, but watch. So many questions raced through his brain at that moment. _Where am I? Why are there Nomus here? Why did Prince Dabi send me here? Who is the woman? Who is that man in the doorway? Where's Shoto?_

At the speed unknown to man, a body darted in between the monster's fist and Izuku himself. He could feel the rush of power through his veins. An electric hum buzzed through his ears. The woman, not much younger than him, was feeble and small, but jumped in front of the punch with the courage that men on the battlefield could only dream of having. The rush soon subsided when he realized the stakes. The woman's body wouldn't be able to handle the punch. _No no no!_

" _ **JIROU!**_ "

The fish and her body collided together. There was only the small thud, but then a crack, and another and another. Izuku's arm reached to grab around her shoulders. He pulled her behind him, the rush of electricity going through his body once again. His fish made contact with the creature's. _Imagine it not breaking! Contain, resist, resist, stay contained!_ He sent the creature flying out into the courtyard.

 _Swish!_ Izuku's head turned to the woman with the knife. It was no longer in her hands, but flying straight towards him. He held his breath, unable to move once again. A hand bolted upwards. The knife drove into its palm, stopping the blade inches from his face. He looked down to the woman in his arms. Blood was pooling onto the ground.

Her dress was drenched with the liquid. Her body was twisted and mangled, but then he heard a click. She groaned as one of the twists untwisted. The clicks kept going onward until her other hand became of use again. The woman pulled the knife from her hand. Wounds disappeared as the woman stood tall, facing the other woman. The man with red eyes rushed forward. He tackled the other woman onto the ground. His palms were red with smoke coming from them.

"So ugly! Get away from me!" another knife appeared in her palms.

"Not this time, hag!"

One of the monsters, this one an azure color, jumped from the outside. The threw the man away from the woman. His body hit the wall of the room. He dropped onto the floor and looked up. The red eyes were beginning to get to Izuku. They seemed to familiar, but at the same time, so distant and threatening. _What are they?_

"Jirou, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

"Good, let's d-"

The monster charged straight towards the man. His red eyes showed not an ounce of fear as his hands turned red once again. He didn't get a chance to use his powers. A blur of black spurred into the room. Izuku smelled the sharp tang of metal. He could practically taste it in his mouth. A claymore sliced clean through the monster's body. Two halves of a body lied on the ground with a man stand over it. His muscles ripped through whatever shirt he had been wearing. He was so great in size that Izuku could have mistaken him for a giant.

"You."

The giant turned to the blonde woman. She held her knife up with a smile on her face. Izuku could see her gaze waver.

"King Mareo! It's so wonderful to see you! I fin-"

Izuku couldn't shut his eyes. The claymore came down and sliced the woman's body in half. Blood spurred across the room, some of it spurting onto Izuku's own clothes. A smile remained on the corpse. He kept his mouth shut as the giant rose. He turned to the two monsters outside. They stood still. The snow fell, coating the two statues. A savior had arrived, but Izuku didn't feel one bit safer.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the marriage of Princess Momo Yaoyorozu and Prince Shoto Todoroki. The princess will be traveling with the prince to the Todoroki Kingdom. They will be wedded in due time. She will be accompanied by me, Sir Aizawa, to the kingdom until further notice."

Momo sat with her hands together. Sir Aizawa was standing from his seat at the round table. His beard was scruffier than usual and the bags under his eyes were larger. She hadn't even gotten a chance to change before a meeting was called. Her stomach hurt. She desperately wanted food.

"We will be departing immediately. I am thankful for your hospitality, King Mareo."

A younger knight, Sir Iida, from the Todoroki Kingdom stated. He was the head of the group that came to the islands. Prince Shoto stood next to him, his arm crossed and the usual expressionless face accompanying him. Half of his shirt was burnt off, cuts and bruises adorned his body, and Momo could spot past scars down his torso.

"No."

Momo whipped her head to her father. He wasn't one to say no. So, why now? Blood was dried into his clothes and mud brushed his face.

"My apologies, King Mareo, but we are required to return to the Todoroki Kingdom as soon as possible. We have already overstayed." The knight was kneeling on the ground. His head was bowed low.

"You will stay until the end of the Snow Festival."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Snow Festival is an annual event of the Yaoyorozu Kingdom. We celebrate it after the first snowfall and since the first snowfall as already begun, it will begin tomorrow. You are to stay."

"My deepest apologies, but we _must_ leave as soon as possible. A royal ball in the Todoroki Kingdom will begin in five days time and the prince is to be present there will his bride."

"You will stay."

"King Mareo." the knight rose his head to look towards the king.

"You may leave, but you will not leave with my daughter. She must be here for the Snow Festival as she is our kingdom's eldest princess. Now, no more arguing. It has been a much too eventful day. Meeting dismissed."

* * *

 _Scrub, scrub, scrub_. Momo felt like her skin was being scrubbed raw. Her mother had dragged her to a dressing room. Dresses were held by maids, waiting to be tried on by the princess. Queen Michiko sat near her. She sipped a hefty amount of tea and spoke in hushed tones. Only a few more nights and then Momo would be off to the Todoroki Kingdom. She clenched her fist underneath the water of the tub. There was something strange that happened whenever she touched the prince. A small jolt of pain that went through her body then subsided confused her.

"Why are you so tense, my dear?"

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"This man that I'm going to marry. He is strange."

"He thinks you are just as strange as well, my dear daughter." her mother took another sip of tea.

"But he's strange in a way I've never seen before."

"When I married your father, I thought he was quite strange too, but soon enough I learned why. Patience, my dear."

"How are you so calm? I'll be leaving to the Todoroki Kingdom and may never see you again mother."

"I know."

The maid began washing Momo's hair. The soap smelled like honey, sweet and strong. She sighed and looked to her mother, urging her on.

"I have spent all of the time you've born, preparing you. I've known that you will be married off, it is inevitable, but I have done my best to ready you. Your father tried as well. He gave you freedom and strength and I supplied you with beauty and grace. Together, you will make a fierce queen."

"My life has never been my own, isn't that true?"

"As the eldest princess, you have a duty to your people. Young Maemi, when she grows up, will rule over the islands. That position was meant to be your's, but the Todoroki Kingdom simply wouldn't stand for it." Queen Michiko bared her teeth and took in a deep inhale. "They think they are gods among men." she snapped her small tea stirring spoon in half.

A maid rushed over. She took the spoon from the queen and placed a new one in her hand. Momo never thought much of it, but the queen was as dangerous and destructive as her father. They were similar in the way they glared and how their voice lowered when an upsetting topic came up. The princess pulled her knees to her chest. She gave a sigh as a maid started combing through her wet hair.

"But try, my dear. Try to get to know him. You don't need to completely fall in love, but trying to make some sort of connection makes life a bit more bearable. I also think the young prince wants to get to know you as well. You two have spoken to each other in private before, yes?"

"Mother!"

"He's quite bold. From the last I saw him, he has grown very much. Prince Shoto is just as desperate as you are."

"I guess so."

"Then go speak with him again. You have a few more days in your homeland. Use it to your advantage, just as I taught you in our battle tactics lessons."

"That's right!" Momo cheered, jostling the tub to the side slightly.

"Now, only if you payed more attention in your mannerisms classes. Legs crossed and chest down in the tub, my dear."

* * *

A/N:This chapter. Oh my god this chapter. There was so much I trying to do, but it all crashed and burned. I've had this sitting in my google docs and I have been writing and rewriting it a TON. I'm glad to finally have it out though. It's reassuring.

So yes, next chapter we will begin the Snow Festival arc. It will be a short arc that will then follow up with another short arc to end "Win Her Favor - Snow"

Also, you might be wondering why there's an added "- Snow" to the fanfic now? Well, I'm splitting the fanfic up into three parts called Snow, Rain, and Sun. Each will focus on their respective seasons: Winter, Spring, and Summer. I was planning out the whole of the Win Her Favor fanfic and as I was thinking about it, it's gonna be pretty long and I don't want to overwhelm new readers with a ton of chapters.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please tell me down below and as always, have a wonderful day!


	13. Watch Out

Shouto sat on a bed with his right hand slowly going over his left shoulder. The pain of the day's commotions had taken a toll on his body. Bruises were beginning to darken and the cut on his shoulder was becoming irritated. He desperately needed to get back to the Todoroki Kingdom. He didn't like Iida's plan, but getting back as soon as possible is a must.

The prince sighed. He took off his shirt and threw it to the end of the bed. Every muscle in his body was pulled taut. _I really need to get back to the kingdom…_

* * *

 _Ha ha ha~_

Everything was a blur. Maemi was back in the ballroom. The golden chandeliers and flower arrangements were so familiar. People's' backs were to her. They were watching something. Momo and Prince Shoto were meant to be dancing there. Usually whenever Maemi had visions of this place, they'd be dancing. They'd be laughing with Momo accidentally stepping onto his shoes. They would spin together, their hands clasped and smiles wide.

They weren't this time. Maemi could smell the metallic sting in the air. She ran, pushing people out of the way to see what they were looking at. She hoped and prayed it wasn't what she was thinking. Tears welled into her eyes. The crowd was so dense with people she couldn't care to recognize. None of them spoke. She pushed away one more person.

"Yaoyorozu?"

"Yes?"

"Will you dance with me?"

The prince's hand was extended towards her. He waited. A patient man that wasn't there before. Maemi had to hold herself back from walking forward. This wasn't what she was expected. She thought of dead bodies and bloodied weapons, but instead she got something that shattered all she knew. Her sister stood in front of the prince. She was always one to never hesitate. A thoughtful woman that wasn't there before.

"I can't."

The little princess wanted to shut her eyes. Blood began to pool onto the ballroom floor beneath their feet. The liquid rushed towards her as the two royals became statues. Maemi took a step back, but was stopped by two hands on her shoulders. Her head turned around to find a man there. His blue eyes bore into her soul. The scars on his face were so unnatural. He put a finger to his lips to shush her. With a force that threw her heart out of her chest, he pushed her into the blood. She was crawling towards the sky for air.

The princess fell downward. Someone caught her. She looked up to see her father's eyes, but they morphed and shifted. It wasn't her father anymore, but a woman. The woman's eyelashes were familiar. Her face was soft and her lips pursed into a small smile. She looked so much like her sister. Her mouth moved, but no sound came from it. There was only the a whisper.

" _The wind is howling through the mountains._ "

Maemi awoke in a cold sweat. She looked around herself frantically. Her breathing was uneven. Her hands were clammy. She was alone in her room. Visions never came that clearly to her. They were always hazy, a little obscure. But this one, this one was clear as day. It felt like she was there watching it happen before her eyes. The smell of blood couldn't leave her. _I changed the future and it's coming for me_.

* * *

A blade sliced through the air, coming to the side to slice a dummy's head clean off. Momo huffed. Her hair was cleaned earlier, but now dirt and snow intertwined with the loose strands. It was all too much. Duties and responsibilities restricted her freedom to roam.

Her favorite stallion lied on his deathbed. She couldn't bear to look at his face. Her belongings were rounded up and stowed onto a ship along with dozens of dresses, jewels, and trade items for the Todoroki kingdom.

She cut the dummy's torso in half. The princess flung the sword to the ground and sat with the snow above her falling. _It's cold…_ She pulled the light fur coat over herself tighter.

"Are you done moping?"

Momo turned behind her. There, leaning against one of the courtyard's pillars, was Bakugou. He scowled at her.

"When do you leave?"

"Two days," she sighed, "Bakugou, what do I do?"

"Well," he sat down next to her, "do you like the prince?"

"No?"

"What the fuck is that, Momo?" Bakugou scowled. "nOOooOOO?"

"Well, I-"

"Let's start over. Do you," he pointed straight at her face, "find him attractive?"

"Maybe?" she shrugged.

"MOMO!"

"WHAT?!"

She watched him turn away from her with the scowl still on his face. The princess pulled her knees close to her chest. Her head hurt. Thoughts swirled and slurred together forming fragments of sentences and pieces of old memories. Momo took in a deep breath and let it out as she looked up at the sky. It had begun to snow.

"He's like the opposite of a claymore." she breathed out.

There was silence. Momo glanced at Bakugou's back and watched as he slowly turned back to her. He glared.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"H-He's, uhhh. Prince Shouto is not a claymore. He isn't bruttish o-or orrrrrr brash like a claymore is. He's very calm and collected and...and…." she was blushing, "he's elegant."

"He's elegant?" Bakugou's scowl melted away, but it was replaced with a look of confusion.

"The way he fights is very graceful and he carries himself with a sense of defiant pride. You probably don't get what I'm saying, but-"

"So what you're saying is that you like that he's," Bakugou stopped to think over his words,"not like you?"

"Yes?"

"Momo." he frowned.

"Yes! Yes, I am saying that!"

"It's freezing out here and you're all heated up over this. Little princey boy has you wrapped around his finger, huh?" Bakugou couldn't help letting a smirk appear on his face.

"He does not!" she batted at his shoulder.

"I mean, whatever you say, princess." he chuckled.

"I'm leaving in two days, Bakugou," Momo felt the flakes of snow land on her head. "And I'm scared."

"Why are you scared? It's just a _guy_." his hand swept the flakes out of her hair.

"I'm going off to a land I've never been to before to marry a man who I've only met a few days ago. And…"

"And?"

"The prince said that once we're married, he'll let me return to the islands, but I know it won't be that simple. I'll be married to a man who will someday be king of his own country. No reasonable person would keep me out of their sight in case I am to plot against him or someone were to plot against _me_."

"That sounds really sketchy," Bakugou looked up to the sky, "He's probably trying to get your hopes up so you'll follow along with his shit."

"You've barely spoken to him. How do you know that his intentions aren't true?"

"You can't be so trusting of people, Momo. I know you're getting married to him and all, but be careful."

"I know, I know." she sighed and looked up at the falling snow with him.

"Two more days, huh?"

"Mhm."

"Then," he stood up and offered a hand to her, "let's go grab Jirou tomorrow and make the most of it. Shall we?"

"Yes!"

* * *

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ Shouto groaned and pulled his shirt back on. His left shoulder was killing him. He opened the door to find a Yaoyorozu guard standing there. They had their head bent down towards the ground. Shouto sighed.

"Speak."

Their head remained down, "King Mareo has requested to speak with you."

Shouto didn't know what to expect when he walked through the wooden doors into the Yaoyorozu meeting room, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see the scene that was now in front of him. Midoriya sat next to the king with his hands in his lap. He was biting onto his lip. King Mareo was sat still, the bags under his eyes prominent.

"Midoriya?" Shouto froze in the doorway.

"Your highness?" the green haired boy looked up to the prince.

"Prince Shouto, is this your messenger?" the king's voice was sleepy.

"Yes… Midoriya, what are you doing here?"

Shouto watched Midoriya bite onto his lip harder. His shoulders tensed and his chin refused to be held high. The prince walked closer to the two and took a seat next to him. Tears were welling up in Midoriya's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Shouto didn't understand.

"I've seen so much that these past days have felt like years. He's building an army, Shou. There's these monsters he creates and these people that he's with. H-He killed so many people. He burnt down villages and made me watch. Did you know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Midoriya."

King Mareo rose from his seat. He waved towards the guard, who nodded and walked away. The king yawned.

"That's quite an eventful story you have there, young man. Why not tell it tomorrow? It's late."

"King Mareo, I have t-" Midoriya began.

"It's late." his words were final.

"King Mar-" Shouto began.

"Send your messenger away, Prince Shouto. He must not be feeling well for today has been eventful. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the Snow Festival, it'd be best to prepare for it before you rest. Now, off. I must see my wife."

The king walked out of the doors, leaving them open for the two. Shouto cursed himself. _Why did my brother do that?_ Midoriya put a hand onto Shouto's left shoulder. He winced at the injury there being irritated.

"What happened these past few days?"

"Ha. That's a long story, Midoriya."

"We have all night." he gave a sad smile.

"Yeah, we do."

* * *

A/N:I've spent weeks mulling over my writing and story line and honestly this is what I've been able to muster up. Look forward to more regular posting for a bit.

This chapter was quite short, but I hope you guys enjoy the next one. The story is finally going the way I want it to.


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